Puella Magi Yūko Magica
by webidolchiu94
Summary: In this universe, things have changed. When Madoka made her wish, it really did change the universe, and not in a way any would expect it to. Houmura wakes up in the hospital, without her soul gem, and discovers that in this world, miracles and magic do exist without selling your soul to a Starfish Alien. Prequel to "Eternal Flowers". R&R!
1. Chapter 1- Reset Button

**_May contain heavy spoilers for not only the show, but my other story, "Eternal Flowers", seeing as this is a prequel! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Another note: I have a poll on my profile. Please respond. Thank you..._**

* * *

Chapter One: Reset Button

Those eyes, as red as the blood they've seen spilled, stared into the recesses of her soul. The creature before her sat without concern, and mocked her very reason to fight. It told her that she had been making everything worse since the futile endless cycle had begun, and that she might as well give up and allow the inevitable to happen.

The inevitable, huh? All those time jumps were for naught, then.

Resting on her hand, the purple diamond that had been glowing so brightly before started to dim.

Hōmura lay in the rubble and looked upwards, where the Witch still hung in the sky, completely undeterred by any of the attacks she had sent its way.

Walspurgisnacht. It mocked her in every timeline, cackling as it flew, to curse them all to a despairing end and destroy the city.

Still, the alien remained, watching her next move. Hōmura had no more options, not even to travel back in time, because that would only make Madoka stronger, and she couldn't even risk that.

Maybe she should fulfill that promise she made in one of the other timelines, the one before Madoka sacrificed herself for Hōmura.

_"Let's become the nastiest witches of all time, right Madoka?"_

Tears welled up in her cerulean blue eyes. She could never save Madoka, and that was all there was to it. She might as well just die.

"Kyūbey."

That voice! No, under no circumstances should she even think of Contracting. Despite all the internal bruising, Hōmura tried to sit up; someone had to stop Madoka before—

"I want to make a Contract with you."

"No, Madoka!" said Hōmura, reaching for her gun. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as the girl pointed it at the cute little creature that had been staring at her all this time. "D-don't listen!"

"It's alright Hōmura-chan," said Madoka, placing a hand on Kyūbey and smiling. In her eyes were tears as well, but she pet the tiny alien all the same, ready to accept his offer.

Kyūbey purred in response, flicking his fluffy tail from side to side.

'You really mean it, Madoka?' he said. Oh, if he could drool, he might as well have been drooling, despite the complete lack of emotions.

"Yes, I do. You did say that you could grant us any wish, correct?"

'Of course. Not only that, but considering your potential, and depending on your wish, you could literally become limitless in power!' said Kyūbey, dwelling on his quota. It would be exceeded by a trillion-fold, and certainly they would promote him for such a result. He could be praised for saving the universe!

"It's decided then. Kyūbey, I wish that the Puella Magi don't have to be bound by your rules. For them to be able to bring smiles and happiness to all they meet instead of falling into despair! For a different world where magic and miracles don't exist because of you, but they merely exist for the benefit of us all."

'Why, a wish like that is treason against the wish itself!' Kyūbey said, his eyes becoming wider. His ears were already lifted to grant the wish, and it was too late for him to stop from doing so. He tried, he really did, but her latent power already was bursting forth to warp reality. This wasn't what he expected. He expected something smaller, like bringing back Mami and Kyouko, but not this.

Never this.

"That is my wish, that is my hope, fulfill it, Incubator!"

He had no other choice but to comply.


	2. Chapter 2- A Drastic Change

魔法少女ゆっこマギカ

.

Chapter Two- A Drastic Change

With every time jump, there were always the same expectations. For one, the smell of disinfectant always lingered in the air. Each tine Houmura would wake up staring at the powder blue ceiling of the hospital, and a sense of dread would overwhelm her, along with that distasteful odor.

Houmura frowned and sat up slowly, assessing her options. There was nothing she could do but try not to fail this time. She hadn't even triggered her powers in this loop, so it really didn't make any sense.

8,103. Houmura herself didn't know it, but that was how many times she'd repeated her meeting with Madoka. 243,090 days, all for nothing. Her Soul Gem should have hatched into a Witch by now! But no, she wouldn't let Kyuubey taunt her anymore.

Her hands automatically went to her side, where the Soul Gem always sat when she travelled back.

…Nothing.

_What the—_

Her head snapped around in a panic. It always was there! How could it have disappeared? It had literally been a part of her for so long that she felt helpless without the accursed thing.

Now how was she to fix her eyes this time around? More importantly: How far could it have gotten? In one timeline this had happened to Houmura only once. Before she became contracted, Sayaka had stolen the Soul Gem away in a fit of jealousy, only to realize the truth about them, and go into a meltdown. The only reason Houmura returned to her body was because of Madoka's kind efforts, and even then, it was a miracle.

Gritting her teeth, the girl snatched her spectacles from the nightstand near her bedside. Houmura jumped out of bed, her braids swaying, and stalked to the bathroom as usual. For a few moments she stared at herself in the mirror, inspecting what she saw.

No wonder she never wore these stupid glasses anymore. All she could see was the image of moe weakness that had failed to protect Madoka for so long. Her fist smashed against the reflection, spraying shards of glass everywhere. Houmura slumped forwards and chocked out a quiet sob, leaning against the sink. A few drops of blood dripped to the floor, but Houmura couldn't even feel the pain from her hand right now. She gripped the porcelain and simply waited until she felt calm enough to stand upright.

This wasn't the answer; hurting herself wouldn't help.

"What are you doing, Akemi-san?"

This wasn't expected either. Who was that? She turned around to see a very stern old woman holding a clipboard. When Houmura didn't answer, the woman, Nurse Austero, frowned severely and came to examine the girl.

For the first time in a long while, Houmura didn't know what to do. She froze. A veteran like her, and she froze.

"Destroying property, hurting yourself," said the nurse, shaking her head and picking up the girl's hand. "Next time I might tell the doctor, Miss Akemi." Out of the back pocket of her scrubs, she extracted a long, thin black rod. "I'll let you off with a warning this time."

She placed the tip of the rod over Houmura's hand and muttered something unintelligible. A few golden sparks bathed the injury in light and her hand immediately came back to normal. Houmura's eyes widened in surprise.

_This is—!_

"It's the least I could do for a fellow Magistra Magi, now isn't it?" said the nurse, giving the girl a wink and pocketing the item.

It was the day she was being discharged after all…

.

Curiosity after Curiosity. The same uniform, the same school, but everything was just so different. Her bookbag was filled with a set of totally different materials than the previous loops.

There were textbooks, yes, but in addition to math, science, and literature, there were odd titles such as: _Alchemy and Arithrimancy_, _A Beginner's Guide to Potions_, and even _Faust. _Very odd saying the least. She was going to the same school, she had to remember that, and there, she hoped to see Madoka. Since her discharge, she made it a point to study her new "materials" and figure out what exactly happened when Madoka made that wish. She had a feeling that it changed quite a few fundamental laws of nature, but other than that, it all was baffling. Hopefully on her first day of school, all that would change, and she could catch up on any other points she was missing out on.


	3. Chapter 3- Miasma

瘴気

* * *

They always lurk in the shadows, waiting for someone to slip into despair. I am the guardian, for I wished for a different fate for us all. Now I must bear the burden and fight to protect us. These monsters have nothing to do with magic directly, but everyone knows that light always creates shadows, and the good that magic creates also makes these distortions.

The mages know nothing of this. To them, demons are everywhere, so why would they care?

Only Kyūbey stays by my side, like a cute little mascot should. He does not believe my story-to his ears it sounds like pure fantasy. He knows of the magic in this world, because it is the reason the Incubators were drawn to Earth in the first place. Magic surpasses Entropy in all aspects.

I ready my bow, aiming at the darkness swirling before me. Everyone, Mage and human alike have scattered. Only two remain, and the irony bleeds through the energy I feel stirring. From the corner of my line of sight, Kyūbey stares at me with his blue button eyes shining with anticipation.

'With this monster we will have filled the quota for the next twenty years!'

* * *

魔法解離

* * *

_Mahokari City, huh? This really is a totally new world, isn't it?_

Hōmura waited outside of the school thinking about the differences she noticed in this world. In her hands was a brochure for the institution and it was baffling. The entire city's name was changed, so it affected the school's own. Its main building took up much more space than previously, nearly double the original school, and it now accommodated not only middle-schoolers, but high-schoolers as well.

Starting with history, Hōmura had made sure to read through her textbooks thoroughly. _Mages: A History_, was the first time she conquered, and it was not a very comforting read. It was a much more complicated subject now, because magic always had some influence in the matter behind the scenes of many historical events. Other than that not much had changed, save for technology being a tad more advanced than what she was used to. It was one of the reasons that her heart condition had healed at a much faster rate than the other timelines. By this time in those other instances, she would become lightheaded just walking to school, but that was not the case this morning.

Still, aside from all the positives, her mind would not stop running through all the potential possibilities of this new world. Hōmura remembered Madoka's wish that magic would be used to benefit everyone. But Kyūbey's powers were always so frustrating in that he granted EXACTLY what you wished for, damn all the consequences. As a rule, more often than not there was something that didn't turn out quite right. So as a result, the side effects of warping reality like this were inconceivable.

Magic still existed, and it felt only a tad different than in the original world, but it was still odd. If it benefited everyone, then why was the public in the dark about it? She had to think over what Madoka had said. There were several parts to her wish, and Hōmura had only figured out the first by simply being here. There were people who could use magic without Soul Gems, and she was apparently a part of their society. There were still normal people who knew nothing about magic.

It just didn't add up.

Wait… Hōmura had a sudden sickening thought: Madoka hadn't wished that Puella Magi didn't exist, but that they wouldn't have to follow Kyūbey 's rules. But wouldn't that mean that he still made contracts? And that there still were Witches? What about Madoka? Was she already too late? Hōmura had gone to kill Kyūbey at the same moment she always did when she turned back time, when he was en route to Madoka's house. But he wasn't there. Did that mean the little furball already got to her? She didn't have her guns or her usual magical abilities, so even if she cornered Kyūbey it would've been impossible to stop him.

She bit her lip and tread on. There had to be something she could do to save Madoka. Something… Anything...

Unfortunately, no ideas came to mind.

* * *

憂鬱

* * *

A pair of light blue eyes searched her face for any indication of fear. He found none, so the little animal merely smiled and bowed his pale snout low to the ground. This was the anomaly he had sensed. This was the girl he was destined to find, the one who would defeat entropy.

He may have been insane, but the little devil was on her side.

"I've found you, oh great Goddess." He said reverently.

Madoka said nothing but clutched the Soul Gem to her chest and held her breath - this wasn't right.

* * *

彼氏

* * *

Ms. Saotome stood at the front of the class as usual; the only difference between the other loops being that she held a large wooden staff within her hands instead of a pointing stick. Her short brown hair was pulled back into a stubby ponytail and she tapped her foot twice before forcing a smile. Kazuko thrust the staff into the nearest student's face, a chalk-skinned, dark-haired boy name Izumi Sakai. It came close to hitting him in the eye, but luckily he ducked in time.

"Sakai-kun, what is the proper way to fry an egg? Sunny-side up or sunny-side down?" She inquired.

The boy grew paler if that was even possible. "Can't i-it be fried either way?"

This answer seemed to satisfy, but it did not quell her anger in the least.

"Exactly! Which means that you can't go around judging how beautiful a woman is by how she fries her eggs!" From the end of her staff, a bolt of lightning shot out, hitting a nearby garbage can by the door. It burst into flames, causing the whole class to have sweatdrops running down their foreheads. "Girls, listen up! Don't go out with a man who is picky about his breakfast. And boys, don't become a spoiled brat who wants their food to always be gourmet quality."

"Yes, sensei!" Answered the children in unison. Most had worried looks on their face for the sake of their teacher. Evidently, the latest man she'd been going out with had some choice words for her sunny-side down eggs.

The teacher seemed to calm down after a moment, though.

"And now, I'd like to introduce a new transfer student. Come in, Akemi-san!"

The students murmured amongst themselves.

"Shouldn't that have come first?" Muttered Sayaka from the back. She was beside Madoka, who was staring intensely at the girl walking in through the door.

Her hair was a dark ebony, and the long glossy locks reached down past her waist. Hōmura had gotten used to wearing her hair loose, so she kept that the same at least. Not only that, but she hadn't recalled how troublesome glasses were and right after she was discharged, the girl had gotten contacts and smashed those terrible red fashion faux pas.

Stately as ever, our titular character walked to the front. Ms. Saotome wrote her name on the front of the board, smiling. Hōmura found herself smiling back for some odd reason, relieved that this time she didn't have to rewrite it in Hiragana.

"Akemi-san was in the hospital because of a heart condition and just transferred here today."

She bowed shallowly and held onto her messenger bag hanging off her shoulder. It held much more than her other schoolbag, so it was heavy considering all the (ahem) interesting things it could hold. One of which was a staff similar to the teacher's own.

Her voice held the inklings of hope as she looked straight ahead to meet everyone's curious stares.

"Hello everyone, my name is Hōmura Akemi. It's nice to meet you all."

The class gave one united whoop of welcome and the newest addition to their school took a seat near the front.

When break began, the questions began. Before Hōmura could react she was surrounded by the same three girls from the other timeline. She barely even knew their names, but there they were, grilling her like she was a suspect on a hot murder case…or rather a hot grill.

"So, what school did you go to before here?" Asked the brunette.

"Your hair is so long, I bet it takes forever to style!" Said her friend as a compliment, reaching out to brush her fingers against the soft dark strands.

"Did you participate in clubs or anything?" Asked the other with a gleeful glint in her eyes, as if she were a football recruiter from a big college.

"Excuse me," said a voice.

Saved by the aide.

Hōmura couldn't believe it. It was happening again. In front of her was the one person Hōmura had never expected to approach her. After all, after the very first time she went back, Madoka never did interrupt to save her from the constant questioning.

"Akemi-chan has to take her medicine in the nurse's office during breaks." Said the pink-haired savior. She smiled, but Hōmura noticed something was slightly off about it. Like it was extremely forced – fake, even. The other girls didn't notice it, though, because they parted from Hōmura quickly. The brunette twiddled her fingers in disappointment.

"Oh, we're sorry for keeping you, then." She mumbled, speaking on behalf of her friends.

"My name is Madoka Kaname, I'm the nurse's aide for this class. I'll be happy to show you the way."  
.

Once they were out in the hallway, she wasn't sure what to say to Madoka. It was impossible that this was even happening the way it did the first time around, but she was still grateful to see her friend alive. They passed several classrooms and a few students in the hallways. The same glass walls and prisonlike feel; it was disconcerting yet nostalgic all at once.

Hōmura tried to find her voice while following behind her best friend.

"Kaname-san, I was wondering..."

Immediately, the pink haired girl tensed. "Call me Madoka." She snapped.

Shocked, Hōmura nearly tripped over her own foot, but caught herself as she felt a warmth grow in her chest. "Madoka..." She said her friend, but also to herself. "Then you can call me Hōmura." The girl never thought that they could be on such terms again, but it was happening anyway. It was all like some strange, fantastic dream, right?

Unfortunately, she was dead wrong.

Madoka stopped as she spun around on her heel and gave the girl a stoic stare.  
" Hōmura-chan, you can stop acting. We're alone now."  
Indeed they were. Her expression softened. But still, the worry in her eyes was all too real. Hōmura wondered what Madoka had seen to make her eyes seem so old and worn, but now that she was free to talk about what had happened, the words came rushing out so quickly she wondered how much she really _had_ changed from her old moé self.

"I just can't believe how different it is, Madoka. I mean, all this is because of your wish?"

The pink-haired girl let out a heavy sigh. "I think so. But that's not all." She chided herself for barking at Hōmura before. However, her friend noticed that Madoka herself looked quite puzzled as well. Her brow was furrowed in thought and she closed her eyes. "I wish I could tell you more, but…I'm still figuring it all out myself."

"What do you mean?"

Madoka held up her hand, to show Hōmura the ring.

All hopes were dashed upon the roadway to be trampled by the horses into a bloody mess of organs and flesh. It was exactly what she feared - Madoka was trapped by him again and without her powers, Hōmura was as useless as she had been in the first timeline. She stared at her feet, the anger from the other day starting to resurface.

Nothing... There was nothing she could do now.

"Hōmura-chan..."

She was suddenly surrounded by warmth. Blinking to clear the gathering tears, Hōmura found herself confused to realize that Kaname was suddenly hugging her. Drops of warmth rolled down her neck, and Hōmura wrapped her arms around the other girl.

"I can remember everything." Said Madoka softly.

,

**_Please R&R! I beg you kind readers~!_**


	4. Chapter 4- Welcome to the World of Magic

_Tread auf dem Weg der Reue oder fühlen den Zorn der Göttin Büßer._

* * *

Penitent; immortal. Beautiful and terrible, yet gentle and taciturn. She was, she is, and she will always be the embodiment of Hope for us all. Traversing time and space to eradicate Witches no matter what the cost may be.

It was there, floating in the space between spaces, that Madokami had the peculiar unsettling event of meeting face to face with herself.

Universes parallel with one another, folded upon one another like a crepe rolled in upon itself. Sticking with the comparison, it was one giant cosmic crepe filled with grief, despair, and topped off with wretched suffering.

Our Madoka wasn't able to comprehend the concept as of yet, but she would learn.

After all, who could teach you better than yourself?

* * *

天使の日記

* * *

A girl sat in the darkness, the pages of a thousand books laid around her in a circle, each viciously ripped out of its home and thrown on the floor. Blood was spattered on the floor as well as these piles of paper and the hands that had committed this crime were dripping wet, the wounds on her fingers and palms still fresh and bleeding.

Her father, condemned as a criminal. Convicted by the authorities of controlling mundane women with love potions and malicious spells, then murdering them in cold blood and using magic to wipe away the evidence.

He was sentenced to life in the form of a Familiar spirit, with no chance of becoming human again.

What was she supposed to do with that disgusting grey dog? He deserved what he got, didn't he?

_'No, Papa is innocent!'_ said a voice deep inside her crumbling mind. '_Papa was always nice. Papa was good, Papa was good.'  
_  
The voice of her classmates said otherwise, and that was where the contradictions continued. With her sense of reality twisted beyond recognition, she stopped going to school for she could not face their piercing hateful stares.

Judgment had been passed, so how could they not see she was ignorant of his machinations? That she was...

'Innocent?' said a tiny voice.

Sitting on the gutted books, his self-made halo of light gave the creature's white fur an unearthly glow, and the teenager stood enraptured by its beauty. Why would such a thing visit her? Was it an angel to bring her home?

The Incubator's ocean blue eyes were filled with sympathy.

'I could take the pain away.' He offered, 'That is, if you want me to.'

She looked down. He had come to her earlier, but she had refused him twice before. That was before the tragedy that had torn up her family.

All the conditions had been explained, but she had been hesitant because she was content with her life - blissful in her ignorance.

'I can grant your wish. All you have to do is ask.'

She knew that. She knew ripping out her soul would help take the pain away. Fighting for humanity was fine and all, but she wanted the pain gone more than anything. Even if she didn't choose to fight, she would still be fine, but the prospect of her wishes coming true did take the ends off a little.

"I... I want to know," said the girl, "what the meaning of my life is." She paused for a moment and clenched her fist. "That…is my wish."

Kyūbey lifted his ears and sighed. "I shall grant it then." He closed his eyes and made a shallow respectful nod that she assumed was a bow of apology. "I am sorry for your loss, but you do know of Entropy and our fight against it, so I am relieved that you finally decided to join us."

"I thought you had a Goddess on your side," she said, sneering.

"We do."

"Just get on with it, Kyūbey," she said, her voice low and threatening. For a moment she wondered if he was mocking her, but she knew Kyūbey didn't joke around.

Pity was clear in his tone as he bowed sharply once and raised his ears.

"As you wish, Oriko."

* * *

_Ist das Böse der Menschheit so groß, dass sogar Magie kann nicht bestrahlen ihrer törichten Leiden?_

* * *

"I've already said too much," said Madoka, shaking her head. "_They_ are listening after all."

Hōmura mouthed the word "who".

"The adults of course," whispered Madoka in response. She looked to her left, then focused on Hōmura again. It wouldn't be good it they found out their secret, so she left the conversation open for later on. After Madoka's confession of sorts, the two girls decided to return to class, the pinkette leading the way once again with the promise of explaining things after school was over with. There were students filling the hallway where they stood, so there wouldn't be much privacy. Besides that reason, Madoka didn't want to dump so much information on Akemi-chan so soon, and hoped the girl would at least become more acclimated to such a different environment.

Before they left the hallway, Madoka gently laid a hand on Hōmura's back. The time-traveler felt a slight tingling sensation go through her body, and stared at Madoka with her lips pressed together.

"This is to help you make a good impression on the class again, Hōmu-chan," she said, feeling slightly optimistic.

Hōmura blushed at the strange new nickname. "What did you—?"

"Just giving you back something I took from you," said Madoka with a smile, a genuine one this time.

The cogs in Hōmura's brain clicked into place. Madoka really had been the reason she couldn't find her gem, wasn't she? Hōmura was about to ask her if that was true, but as if she was reading her mind, the "older" girl clicked her tongue and made a zipping gesture over her mouth. Akemi-chan had to wait until later.

For now, it was on to the best part of the day.

.

While doing a warm-up, Sayaka cocked her head to the side as she jogged. She had the odd feeling that a sprightly, playful composition was playing as background music for their gym period.

After they were sufficiently stretched, and their blood was pumping nicely, it was time for some real exercise.

All the girls were gathered around, and the coach blew her whistle for Madoka to begin her turn.

Madoka readied herself, staring at the bar for a moment. Taking off at top-speed, she dashed until the line was reached, at which point Madoka sprung off the ground like a panther, twisting around midair, her heels barely grazing the pole before she landed on the pad with a giant _POOF!_

Hōmura's performance was nearly identical to her friend's. She leapt as if her feet were spring-loaded, the force sending her in a beautiful curve to clear the pole.

_'So this was what she meant by that gesture,'_ thought Hōmura once she touched down on the landing pad.

At the long jump, the hurdles and, lastly, high jump, it seemed Madoka was unstoppable. Far ahead of most of the girls (and boys) on the track was Madoka, running at an incredible pace; not necessarily an unusual sight these days. Her pigtails were discarded at the moment for one braided ponytail so that her hair wouldn't impede her vision. One slim leg rapidly followed by the other, connected with the track, and her arms swung in an even graceful rhythm.

In spite of her beautiful sprint, everyone wasn't paying attention to Kaname today.

In fact they were surprised to see that the new girl was running a little bit ahead of her like some track star on steroids. Her feet were moving with machine-like precision and speed. With her long midnight hair blown back by the wind and her chest barely moving, she didn't even look tired, which made the others skeptical of the story that she was absent because of a heart condition.

The other girls didn't know whether to be jealous or not, but congratulated her all the same, glimmers of admiration in all of their big moé eyes for both Madoka and their new classmate.

All except one - Sayaka, of course. Something was odd about that girl - she could smell it. And she suspected it all had to do something with the change she noticed in her best friend a while ago.

In any case, the students stampeded back to class. Madoka was trying to encourage Hitomi and Sayaka to talk to their newest addition of the class, but the blue-haired girl was being difficult. Hitomi was more amicable, however, and began chatting away with Hōmura as if they had been friends forever, compliments pouring out of her mouth faster than the other girl could thank her for them.

.

With a smile bright enough to illuminate the room, their teacher put the remaining papers on her desk in a draw.

"We will be going over the basic elemental spells today, class. So please take out your wands."

"Um..." Hōmura looked to her schoolbag. At first it had confounded her how so much stuff could fit into the tiny messenger, but obviously it was enhanced so that it held another, bigger dimension in order to have a larger carrying capacity. She reached inside the bag as her classmates did and wrapped her fingers around the instrument. When everyone noticed that she had a staff, not a wand such as them, the room became silent.

It was a rich, heavily polished instrument made of a light brown wood with dark spirals throughout the grain. Near the top was a dark piece of string was tied into a modest bow.

Off to the side, one of the girls whispered to her friend beside her. "She is a lot like Kaname-chan, isn't she?"

Ms. Saotome was happy to learn this fact, however. Usually, the required use of a staff as a youngster meant great magical potential. She already had Kaname in her class that used one, besides herself. Judging from how quickly Ms. Akemi had answered all the questions in the other mundane subjects, the teacher just wondered how well she would fare in her Magecraft studies.

"Akemi-san, I see you acquired a staff like Kaname-san, so I think you should be partnered with her for today's lesson if that will be okay?"

Hōmura nodded without saying anything. She didn't mind being around Madoka at all. In fact, she cherished it so this really was a privilege.

"As I said class, we will be practicing basic elemental magic today so let me just clear the classroom."

Ms. Saotome pushed a little blue button next to her desk once the children all were standing. Their bags in the baskets below the seats were taken into the ground along with the desks.

"Divide into pairs or trios, please." With a simple wave of her staff, a copy of their textbook floated in midair to open in front of her. It was a dark green textbook that had the title _Spells, Incantations & Hexes for Beginners_. "Open your books to page seven and look at the four basic elemental incantations."

_Incendio- Fire  
Aquos- Water  
Flans- Wind  
Terrarus- Earth_

"You must read the incantations clearly and release some magic. Then your partner must counter it with the opposite elemental._ Aquos_ to extinguish _Incendio_, and _Terrarus_ to ensure _Flans_ does not send you flying." A cruel smile twisted onto her lips. "The only way to succeed is to not fail."

Madoka and the gang were gathered in the middle of the room, the other students trying their spells with mixed results.

"You want to start, Hōmura?" asked Madoka.

Hōmura smiled. "Ok, then." She waved her staff like she saw the teacher had demonstrated for proper form. "_I-incendio_."

Nothing happened.

Sayaka gave an amused snort and turned to Hitomi, who found it impolite to laugh at her first try. Madoka gave her blue-haired friend a sharp glare that could cut through steel, and the tomboy was silenced immediately.

'Try again' said Madoka with gleaming eyes. 'You can do it.'

"_Incendio_," said Hōmura, louder this time, and only a small blue spark issued from the end of the staff, but it did not ignite.

Sayaka muttered something about showing the new girl how it was done.

"Ready, Hitomi?" she said, facing her friend and lifting her wand. It was made of a dark variation of Desert Ironwood, and she was holding it like a fencing sabre.

Hitomi was prepared for the challenge. The green-haired girl whipped out her Elder-Butternut wand from under her left sleeve and brandished it the same way.

"Yes!" The mild expression on her face was replaced with a fierce mocking grin. "Incendio~" said Hitomi, and a ball of fire sprung from the tip of the wand, aimed for Sayaka's head.

Sayaka flicked her wand upwards, "Aquos!" and a burst of water shot out, colliding with the fire. The two canceled each other out, and the result was a mass of steam.

Hōmura watched the scene with a conflicted state of mind. This was why she couldn't complete such a simple spell. She stared at Madoka, who was standing two yards away from her and smiling. It should have worked to encourage her, but instead it was disheartening.

Could Hōmura really cope with this timeline?

"That's how it's done," boasted Sayaka, holding up a 'V for victory' sign.

"Good second try," said Madoka, ignoring the disgruntled girl to her left. "Put more conviction into it, though. I know you can do it, Hōmura..."

That look she held, it was gentle and trusting.

Of course it was, Madoka had said she remembered it all. Yet, what did she mean by that? This universe, these changes, it was all so much to take in. And there was still so much she didn't know.

It was terrifying. She was used to having foreknowledge, so she considered herself inadequate.

Hōmura's anger was ignited once more, and the fire in her eyes was burning brightly. She raised the staff and pointed it towards her partner, focusing all her anger on a single point. Madoka smirked when she felt the spike in magic. Akemi-san was always a quick learner, wasn't she?

"Incendio!" shouted Hōmura, the power rushing forth from her fingertips into the Bocote wood, and emerged as a long curling structure made of sapphire flames. It unfurled like a ribbon, fluttering and writhing as if it were caught in the wind.

Madoka didn't flinch when the flames tried to engulf her. They came only inches away from her face before she jumped backward, twirling her staff as she did. In one quick move, Madoka slid to a stop and pointed the end of her staff at the fire.

"Aquos!" she said with determination, no hint of fear in her voice at the sudden onrush of heat and destruction. A fire-hydrant's worth of water poured out of the air in front of her, dousing the flames in less than five seconds. She laid her staff across her shoulders, looking to the scorch-marks on the floor. Steam rose from the two dark splotches as the class had fallen silent.

As Madoka had expected, they had been paying an unusual amount of attention to Hōmura since gym had ended, and this was the coup de grace.

"AMAZING!" screamed the girls, surrounding the two once again.

"You guys are so cool!"

"No wonder you're called 'Homura', you're just like a flame!"

"That was impressive," praised Hitomi, "wasn't it Sayaka-chan?"

Sayaka frowned and folded her arms, her wand clenched in her left hand looked like it was about to snap. "Hmph." She turned away from the scene and walked to the other side of the room to practice on her technique by herself.

.

Pretending to brush back her bangs, Madoka lifted her hand with the ring on it close to her ear so that she could signal Maimi. Without Kyūbey around, they didn't have a medium to communicate aside from the strange ability Madoka discovered once she found herself in this world. Talking directly to Mami's soul, the pinkette's smile faltered as she concentrated on finding where the upperclassman was. It only worked on other Puellae Magi, so it was quite useful. Estimating on how long the burst of magic had taken to return (a 'ping' signal of sorts you could say), Mami was on the roof - which made a little sense since it was break-time for third year middle school students.

'Mami-chan, can you hear me?' said Madoka.

'Yes, kami-sama,' responded the blonde, fear rising within her golden eyes. 'What is it? Another Wraith has appeared in the city?'

'Nothing like that, no.' she said to reassure her. 'I just want to talk to you after school today; do you think we could meet at the mall?'

'Sure thing.'

'We can go to that new cafe that just opened, ' suggested Madoka, her hopes lifting.

'As you wish, Kami-sama.'

* * *

悪魔の日記

* * *

She had hair the color of fresh strawberries, and a large appetite. Above the city she stood, balancing on the spire of the Tomoe Tower, overlooking the sleeping inhabitants. The girl smiled, showing a pair of fangs.

Her eyes blazed a lethal red in the night, like two lanterns of evil.

This new despairing city not only meant Wish Tokens but an abundance of blood, a combination she couldn't pass up that easily.

* * *

間取神? 又は 円神?

* * *

Madoka was bewildered. She was astounded. How could she look so beautiful?

Ultimate Madoka broke into a grin that illuminated the space around them. Her salmon hair was long and full, and reached to her toes. She was dressed in a flowing gown of pure white, and had no shoes.

The Goddess reached out for her parallel copy and touched her fingertips to match _our_ Madoka's.

"You have wished well," said Madokami. "For that, I grant you my blessing."

"Your…blessing?"

"You shall also become a Goddess," she said, in that same airy tone. "You shall lead the Earth to enlightenment." She gave our Madoka a hug, which frightened her even more. "You shall be Cupid, spreading love and hope throughout the universe."

"I shall?"

* * *

_Ich lebe für meine Gefühle allein. Mein Wunsch: "Um Leben schaffen."_

* * *

**_Thank you for all the kind reviews! If you know me, I might just put links to fan art for my story on my profile (yes I can draw...). If you don't believe me, then just check out the Pactio cards I made for my other story. Just request a scene from the story in your review and I might just draw it! (Can't guarantee when, but I hope to color it as well.)_**

**_As for the reason I spell her name "Hōmura" with an extra long 'o', it was a stylistic choice, and it acts as foreshadowing if you think about it really hard. Going by my spelling, in Japanese her name would be spelled "ほうむら_****_" which means, roughly translated, "Irregularity Law", so it's sort of a callback to when Kyuubey called her an "Irregularity."_**

**_Yes, I am studying Japanese if you're asking._**

**_Plus, there's a "Homura" in another series I can't stand, and it's basically so I don't think of her when I read my story. (Funny how I'm my own biggest fangirl.) But as the story draws on they'll share one trait in common, despite my better judgment. If you know who I'm talking about then you get some extra points if you can tell me correctly._**

**_Whomever has the most points wins!_**

**_There is so much foreshadowing!_**

**_And, there will be a lot of characters._**

**_As always, R&R~! I love you all! Sorry if the story is/will get dark, but you've all seen the show so it's no surprise, right?_**

* * *

**_Next time: Hōmura visits the guidance counselor and the girls meet after school to talk._**

**_Stay tuned! Don't lose your heads!_**

**_Don't forget this is a prequel to my other story!_**


	5. Chapter 5- Mirrors

**A quick note: I am making a wiki page for this soon, and if you want to help, just ask. Also, I am creating a virtual soundtrack for this story. Please ignore the lyrics if you hate things like that. And finally: I do not own "God Only Knows" or "Madoka Magica", for all belong to their respective owners. I also apologize if you expected a longer chapter. UPDATE: I would like to announce that as of this chapter, I now have an unofficial Beta. Their name is Heavy Lok, and I am very grateful for their hard work in editing my chapters. **

* * *

_Fürstin_

* * *

Mami Tomoe was a very interesting girl, he decided. The mass of twisted metal had impaled her through the stomach and yet she was curiously still alive. Beside her in the ruins of what was once a limousine…was her parents. They weren't as worse off, but if something didn't happen soon, then they all would be on the Other Side very soon.

The creature slipped into the wreckage most easily, just like a cat with its flexibility.

In his eyes swam despair. In his eyes swam pity.

It moved him. Really, it did. If she didn't stay awake, how would he help the poor soul?

Kyūbey had to act fast.

A tiny pink tongue brushed against her forehead, and the girl opened her eyes at the sensation. In her blurred vision she could make out a small animal very close to her face. What had happened? Where were Papa and Mama?

'It's alright,' said Kyūbey.

'Telepathy?'

'You are correct, Tomoe-sama,' he said, urgency in his tone. 'However, you must act quickly, for you are – as a matter of speaking – half-dead. I can grant you any wish you desire. But please, you must hurry!'

Tears glistened at the corner of her eyes, but no sound came out of her mouth despite the immense pain crippling her. Everything was fading to black again. She looked at Kyūbey through her tunneling vision and sniffed.

'Then, please…I wish for Papa and Mama to live!'

'What?'

'I don't care about myself," she said, 'but please…save my parents!'

And with that, her Soul Gem shone with a brilliance he had not seen for twenty years.

Not since the Goddess was first spotted; she and her Attendant.

* * *

吸血鬼

* * *

"I abandon my name," said the girl. Her outfit was torn by the beaks of the crows that she had tried to shoo away, and now…now she was truly alone. "I abandon my family name."

In her hand were a couple of pink flowers - cherry blossoms. The ones that Momo had given her before the terrible thing had happened. This was the last straw. If becoming a monster was enough, then why lose her sister to a couple of demonic black birds?

They were supposed to be shrine maidens. Protectors of their village. Defenders of the Truth. Mediums into the Other World.

No, she couldn't go on without _true_ power. What was the purpose of becoming an atrocity if she still was so weak?

She clenched her teeth so hard a fang pierced her lip, drawing fresh blood. As much as she hated it, the taste was so savory that she licked it away without a hesitation.

"Yes," she said, quietly to herself. "I shall become this flower and begin anew."

'Mind if I help?' said the Incubator.

* * *

_Werde was du fürchtest_

* * *

Immediately after the last class of the day, the students rose, bowed, said goodbye to their sensei, and promptly left the classroom. Hōmura, Madoka and the rest were gathered together in the hallway with plans to walk home together already in mind. However, over the PA there was an announcement. It was loud enough to be heard over the hallway's pandemonium.

'Akemi Hōmura, please report to the guidance counselor's office,' said the secretary in the front office from her desk, smiling at the hallway of students on her view screen. 'And don't forget students, the Ala Alba Tournament is only three weeks away! A bake sale for the Archery Club will be…' Her voice melted into the background noise once Hōmura began to ponder over this new irregularity.

"We'll be waiting for you," said Madoka, although her brow crinkled slightly at the announcement. She had forgotten the usual procedure when a new student arrived at this school, and hoped it wasn't going to be too much of a shock. Of course, she could not actively remember the process, but she did have the memory stored in her mind as if she had recorded it on film and stored it away for later review.

Unsure of whether she should leave Madoka and her friends to delay their homeward bound journey, Hōmura looked into her friend's eyes for the answer.

"Madoka," said Hōmura, now reverting back to her uncertain cold tone. "Will you be alright?"

"Of course," she said immediately, the fake cheeriness covering over the concern for Hōmura like an iron shield. "It won't take long, I promise."

With that assurance, Hōmura tentatively waved goodbye, which was returned by only two of the girls. The third merely looked at her with a steely blue stare and sulked, folding her arms.

It wasn't a long trip to the guidance counselor; it was located directly across from the front office on a hallway intersecting with the main hallway. In big silver caps read the words "GUIDANCE COUNSELOR", a very intimidating sight, actually. The Infirmary was beside the door for it on the left, and for a moment Hōmura had the feeling that she should rush into the left door instead of the right. Nevertheless she ventured on, giving the door three firm knocks before she opened it and went inside.

It was dark, like a bathtub filled with ink. Though, instead of ink it was air and it was filled with a light, rosy scent. The smell tickled her nose and Hōmura's eyes watered from the unseen smoke permeating throughout the area.

"Hold still," said a dark voice in front of her, and for a moment her whole body tensed.

A scampering noise in the distance made her heart jump, and Houmura clenched her hands into fists, glancing around her despite not being able to see anything still.

"Alright, come forward Akemi-san," said the voice casually, and she complied. The girl had barely taken two steps forward when a bright white light shone upwards from the floor. There was a sudden chilling wind, and she shielded her face with her arms. Once she could see, Hōmura gasped, her eyes wide and unbelieving. She was floating in a bubble of light, surrounded by strange glowing rune marks floating around her. They looked exactly like the letters used to spell out a Witch's name and her surreal surroundings resembled a barrier of some sort, but for some reason she felt a wave of relief wash over her.

_What I'm see-ing… Is it, re-al?_

She floated in the water-like air for a few moments, wondering why this was happening. Her limbs felt light, like two balloons trying to float away.

"There is no reason to be afraid, Akemi-san," said the voice, a warmth spreading to her toes once she heard it. "You are perfectly safe." For the first time in a while she could agree with that statement, but Hōmura was skeptical. She was about to speak, but something stopped her. Her voice wouldn't come forth despite how much she was trying.

_What I'm feel~ing…Is it, re~al?_

Her sight began to blur and the moving letters were making her dizzy.

Suspended in the air around her were bubbles filled with brackish water, the accumulation of her tears over a lifetime. Each held a timeline, a handful of memories, and an awful chapter in her life.

Below the many bubbles were names in kanji: Onikakushi-hen, Tatarinaoshi-hen, Tsurimahime-hen, and Konojousan-hen(この王女さン).

_What I'm do~ing… is it, re~al?_

Hōmura reached out to one of the nearest bubbles, but stopped short. Her back arched, a ripping feeling spreading from her head to her toes, like she was being pulled in half. Thankfully the pain stopped after about two seconds, and she hung in the air, relief filling her heart once more. A ball of light floated from out of her chest to settle into her line of sight. Why did that incite such a strange sense of nostalgia? She held the glowing sphere close to her.

_There is no regrets, satisfy my curiosities_

"What do you see?" said the voice.

"I see," said Hōmura, her voice uncertain. She glanced at the sphere of light, something inside of it was fluttering. Hōmura squinted. It was getting clearer as she gazed into its depths and the dark shape within looked like it was trying to break free.

_There is a new world waiting, explore my possibilities_

Hōmura's fingertips brushed the surface of the glowing sphere, the image becoming more defined. Two wings, large and opaque, flapped within the orb, which seemed to be dissolving around it.

"I see a butterfly," she said, correctly identifying the insect she now held within her grasp.

_There is no guarantee, just improve my abilities_

"What kind of butterfly?" inquired the voice, interest definitely in its tone.

_[Go ahead with your own life – Is there any hope in your sight?]_

She looked at the shimmering coal wings then solemnly closed her eyes taking in the strange feeling welling up inside of her.

_There is a choice to make, setting the right priorities_

"It's black."

The universe quivered to the announcement as if it were shuddering at the unspeakable horror that could be unleashed by such a discovery. There was a great booming of laughter and then the voice spoke again.

"I'm sure the great daughter of 'The Black Rose' will forgive me for being so rude," said the unseen speaker again. It was definitely a male's voice, and he sounded very familiar for some reason. "However, this is standard procedure for all incoming students."

_'The Black Rose?' _thought Hōmura.

All of the light surrounding her began to dim, and in a very abrupt manner it died altogether, this transition was almost as blinding as the first. It was very much so like a popping bubble, shimmering and lucid one moment, gone the next. When the bright spots had faded from her vision Hōmura looked around and blinked. She was standing in an ordinary office, with a strange 30-something year old man sitting before her.

Incense was burning from the pot on his desk, so that would explain the odd atmosphere once she had arrived.

He had light, almost blond hair. It looked like it was mixed with a little dirt, giving it a sort of muddy yellow color. His eyes were a chocolate brown and he rested his head in his hand, looking straight at Hōmura.

"Who are you?" she blurted out, but quickly covered her mouth. This was the first time she'd addressed an adult using anything other than _keigo_, and her face was aflush with embarrassment for yet another time today. Why had she been making so many mistakes since she woke up? Impulsive and moody, Hōmura had been doing everything other than protecting who mattered most. But why? She could not answer that herself.

The man chuckled softly and continued to smile.

"An old family friend," he said, seeming to stare right through the young girl and into the past.

* * *

_Halten Sie Ihren Kopf auf ~_

* * *

Hōmura arrived at the mall at 4:30 PM, hoping that Madoka and Mami hadn't been waiting long for her to arrive. She briefly wondered about where they were meeting, but thought better than to question the reason for meeting at Doutor Coffee. It was, after all, where they spent their time after school discussing their concerns with their cherished blond upperclassman. However, that was many timelines ago, and she had come to dislike, even pity, Mami. They both were orphans, and she knew how lonely a life that could be, yet her sense of justice was sickening at times that it led her more often than not down a foolhardy and careless path.

Much like Sayaka-chan.

Madoka sat across from her, her eyes warm on the surface but frozen on the inside. Hōmura felt as if she were looking in a mirror.

Jaded and cynical, her Madoka certainly knew of the pain that had accumulated over these long hard years.

But how? That was the billion yen question.

"You first need to promise me something, Hōmura," said Madoka. The coffee cup in front of her rattled once, the liquid rippling for each word. For a second Hōmura felt a strange power emanating from her friend, but decided to try and ignore it.

"Alright," said Hōmura, composing herself. She was smiling on the inside despite the oddities of this day, and she wished she could see Madoka's eyes light up as they used to.

"Don't kill him," said Madoka.

"Huh?" It took Hōmura a moment to realize who 'him' was. "I-I wasn't even thinking about it much this time around."

Which was mostly true, once she really did mull it over. She had been too preoccupied with the irregularities to even recall Kyūbey more than twice.

Madoka nodded. Hōmura would never lie to her directly; she knew that for sure.

"I see… Kyūbey-kun," she said. "You can come on out now."

There was a little popping noise, and a white fluffy creature materialized in the air in front of them on top of the table. He had a big smile on his face and a paw raised to greet the duo. On first impulse Hōmura was about to strangle him but thought better of it, noting a big change in the otherworldly animal.

For one, his eyes were blue, and the strange circle on his back was the same shade of cerulean. And she could have imagined it but...was he **_SMILING_**?

A gasp rushed out of her mouth like she had been punched in the gut. This was unreal. He _never_ smiled. Never. NEVER.

"This is…" said Hōmura, clutching her chest.

"Hajimemashite, Hōmura-chan!" said Kyūbey in the same manner as a typical anime-mascot. "Kami-sama has told me all about you!"

Impossible.

He was smiling with that cute, furry cat-like face.

"Kami-sama?" said Hōmura, looking at Madoka for a moment.

"Yes," said Mami, standing before the table as if she was there the entire time. "You heard him right, Akemi-chan. He said 'Kami-sama'.

* * *

無邪気な悪意

* * *

A small white animal landed on the concrete, paws first, its long swishing tail contributing to its graceful landing. Odd appearance aside, it had a strange air about it, as if it were out of place in this dark, deserted alleyway.

In front of the animal was a dim red globe with shifting shapes swirling within it.

His face did not show emotions, unlike the similar-looking creatures that the Puella Magi of this world were accustomed to.

Also unlike any of the other Incubators of this universe, his eyes were red.

{Kyūbey} sat, and began to groom himself. He started with his left paw and began licking off the remaining dark debris he had accumulated in trying to escape. He had one eye closed, and the other focused on the globe in front of him.

'At least I saved a few of them,' he thought, recalling the predicament he was in now. If he had any hopes of meeting his quota, then he would have to start all over. A lack of falling into despair meant the Puella Magi system had been reworked, and the girls did not become Witches. It also meant that {Kyūbey} had been stupid to be so...so eager to contract. Those confounded humans were rubbing off on him with their emotional nonsense. After he finished his quota, the little rodent reminded himself to get a psyche interview once he got back to Alifarah7 and take a much needed rest.

Yes, for making a fool of him, Madoka Kaname would pay dearly. He would have his revenge.

* * *

**I'm not sure, but I'm thinking of upping the rating. I want to know what you guys think, but I want you all to know that this is due to a couple of reasons:**

**1) Staying true to the source material, I intend to have some pretty violent scenes. Yes, sort of like episode three grotesque. Additionally, certain people will say disturbing things. (Expect some Wham Lines in the future.)**

**2)Kyoko wasn't ever one for not cursing (you all know what I mean.) And...how the heck do you spell her name?**

**3) I want some fanservice, but I don't think that's okay for a K+ story. Or not. I think, in my opinion that comparing it to the anime, it won't be as horrific or anything, but it will be a Lighter and Softer adaptation. However, some things I want to add might just push the rating towards 'T'. Just so you know, I don't want it to be 'M' so I will try not to go overboard.**

**On another note, I want to know if you all would enjoy supplementary material and a wiki page? I think I might just make one because I am just a loser with no life.**

**As for 'Mami's' name being misspelled, that was on purpose but for the sake of sanity I'll keep it Romanized the same way as before. This is because I've seen it spelled different ways for a few different subs, but I'm trying to rethink things. (I get really technical sometimes.) I have only two possibilities of spelling her given name, Maimi and Mami. If I write that in Japanese it will either be** "舞珠" **for "Maimi" or** "魔美" **and** "魔魅" **for "Mami". Coupling that with her last name, "Tomoe", I have three choices for translation. I think you all should decide, actually.**

a) 知恵 舞珠 - Dancing Jewel Wisdom

b) 知恵 魔美 - Magic and Wisdom

c) 知恵 魔魅 - Decieveing Spirit Wisdom

* * *

**Sorry for the long Author's Note! Don't forget to Review! Plus...I made a really dumb trailer.**

**_Next time: The hunt for Demons is on!_**


	6. Chapter 6- Arrow Storm

**魔法少女ゆっこマギカ****: すべての魔法少女たちのための新しい運命。**

* * *

_For every universe there are twenty-four thousand others that run parallel to it. For each person in these universes there are twenty-four thousand other copies of that person. You may call them doppelgängers or doppeliners when this duplicity happens naturally in your own world, but in the subject of universes, this is what We call an 'Instance'._

_Now this is where the complications come in._

_Half of these Instances are of the opposite gender. So in half of these universes everyone's gender is reversed; every boy has a female version and vice versa. However, there are a handful of universes that only half of the Instances' genders are reversed._

_1/16th of all Instances do not live out their lifespan; eventually the universe disposes of them-something about causality and entropy having to do with their eventual demise._

_Some Instances run into their doppeliners, which happens about half of the time. This usually causes some work of accident in which both semi-Instances will be killed._

_Half of these accidents are usually very violent, and the others are most likely due to drowning._

_The other half of the time they are murdered mercilessly._

_In 1/500 of the universes, the planet suffers a catastrophe, and everyone dies. One fourth of those have to do with nuclear holocausts._

_All in all, just be lucky you're alive, because that's the math of the universe boiled down in layers and terms._

_20 out of 2 billion people are able to hop dimensions by natural inborn talent. Only 2/3rds survive practicing their gift, and the others aren't so lucky._

_Only one has grasped it so well that it is as simple as breathing._

_Unfortunately she hasn't fully mastered it yet._

_And even now, she hasn't changed her name to that one she is infamous for._

* * *

**_Gattino_**

* * *

Near the doorway, a small mewling kitten rubbed itself against the counter in the kitchen. Junko slipped on her left stiletto heel, and held her hand on the doorknob. She paused briefly, maybe two seconds, to look at the cat, but continued to get ready for work. There was an important meeting this morning at 9AM with the Chairman and the rest of the board, so it was important that she got there on time. It was already 7:45, and it usually took more than an hour to get to work by car.

But if she flew there on her broom, then she could get there in half the time.

"Make sure Kuro-chan doesn't get out, okay?" Madoka's mother shooed the cat away from the door so she could safely depart. In one ear she had an earring, and the other was in her left hand, her briefcase clutched within the other.

Tomohisa nodded, looking up from the pancake he was mixing. "Yes, dear!" He answered without pausing at all. Tomohisa looked over to Tatsuya who was running around with a spoon in his hand and smiling.

"And don't forget to wake up Madoka, either!" Added Junko, to which Tomohisa rolled his eyes at. Madoka usually didn't sleep in much, but she had her off days. Sometimes he wondered if she got that from her mother.

"Alright~!"

* * *

Friday, March 18th

Madoka gave the calendar a methodical examination, observing the many magenta marker strokes overlaying the upcoming weeks. This morning, she had woken up to see her Soul Gem glowing softly beside her, an unusual red aura glowing from it illuminated her face in the early morning's weak light. The entire thing hadn't been a dream, had it? No, the gem was all the proof Madoka needed to know it was real. She held it with in her palm and brushed her free hand's fingers against the calendar. Next week's square was encircled by a loopy pink heart.

'May 25th?' Madoka pondered over this date. Why was it familiar?

Nevertheless, she tried to think positively. In no time at all she would see Hōmura at school, and things would be all right. She could tell her everything she'd seen.

How did the 'other' one put it? She tried to think back.

'_A paradox_.'

Madoka's heart clenched. That voice wasn't Kyūbey's, but she could tell that those words had not been spoken aloud.

It did not speak again, but she still felt the presence close to her for some reason.

7:50. So it was already time to get ready for school, and she didn't want to be late.

From her bedroom window Madoka could see the city, and it wasn't much different save for a few extra towers and buildings.

It took the usual amount of time to get ready, probably only fifteen minutes, but it took half an hour to walk to school, and if that was the case then Madoka would be late by five minutes. Of course, that meant she couldn't eat any breakfast, so on her way out of the kitchen she snagged a couple pieces of buttered toast and dashed out the doorway.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice that her little white kitten had escaped with her.

The sky was bright and clear – cleaner than usual for the city, actually. Madoka took a deep breath and sighed. Hōmura was probably in the hospital right now, so she would try to visit her after school. Madoka was just about to begin her sprint to school, but she spotted Kuro just in time out of the corner of her eye.

It was walking in the middle of the street.

_Nyeeeee, nyeeeee~_

She heard the engine before she saw the machine. It was all happening just like the dream she had the night before. A car was heading towards the unknowing cat, and her hand went instantly into her bag.

'_Save it_.'

Madoka didn't know how she was going to make it, but ran to the cat, scooped it up, and held the kitten close to her chest. There was not enough time to dodge, but her thoughts were much faster than her reflexes.

_'αιολική ασπίδα'_ She knelt in the spot where she had stopped in front of the car. Her head was down, and the staff was held out in front of her horizontally. Before Madoka realized what exactly she was doing, there was a giant pocket of air that cushioned the impact of the car.

It did a double – no triple flip before it landed behind the two and sped off.

Her forehead was coated in sweat, and she shakily placed her staff back into her schoolbag. Madoka walked back to her house and put the kitten back inside.

"What was that?" Madoka whispered to herself. Her mind and body reacted on their own, and it was frightening to imagine what would have happened if she hadn't pulled it off. With two fingers, she held the Soul Gem up to the light. Maybe it was all a part of being a Puella Magi?

'Hello there.' Said an all too familiar little alien.

* * *

**インキュベータ**

* * *

Kyūbey flicked his tail, curling it around Madoka's neck as he rubbed his face against her cheek. Looking upon this unprecedented display of affection, Hōmura wasn't sure how to feel about the Incubator snuggling up to Madoka like this. She didn't seem to mind, but it made Hōmura just a little bit creeped out at a seemingly affectionate Incubator.

Mami had tea, as usual. Her golden eyes were on the so-called Goddess and Kyūbey, examining the exchange between them. Kyūbey would purr and grin, while Madoka scratched behind his ear/tentacle things.

"I finally get to meet you, Hōmura-san." Mami sipped deeply from her teacup before setting it down – the delicate fragrance of Earl Grey somehow overpowering Madoka's stronger Blue Mountain coffee.

Hōmura bowed her head lightly. "It's nice to meet you as well, Tomoe-sempai."

"Oh, stop it." The gunner blushed. "Not even the other students in the lower grades call me that." She smiled, the happiness radiating from her like the sun.

"As I've told you before…" Madoka remarked absently. "Hōmura already knows much about the Puella Magi." The time traveler's eyes never left the scene of Madoka hugging Kyūbey to her chest. He had an aura of content surrounding him like a baby swaddled in blankets held next to his mother.

"Really?" Mami put a questioning finger to her lips. "But…you're not a Puella Magi, are you?"

"I was…" Hōmura murmured with a somber expression on her face. "But that was…a very long time ago, you could say."

'So shall we get down to business?' Asked Kyūbey, looking to Hōmura with a delighted grin. 'You wanted to accompany us to hunt Demons today, isn't that right?'

Hōmura tried to hide her confusion. Demons? Puella Magi hunt Demons, now, do they? She figured Madoka's wish probably had something to do with the absence of Witches. But, of course, the Puella Magi had to have something to fight. So Hōmura guessed that these "Demons" were just as destructive.

"That's right." Hōmura lied. She wanted to ask Madoka about the differences between their old universe and the new one that they had constructed, but it looked like that would have to wait. "I just have one question, Kyūbey."

'Ask away.' He chimed, stretching out on the table.

"Why do you call Madoka 'Kami-sama'?"

* * *

**神**

* * *

_Over twenty years ago in Mahokari City, an unusually strong Wraith appeared. It was unbelievably strong, possibly a class A-7. The local Magical Girls couldn't defeat the monster, and tried to call for help. It was destroying everything it touched in the city, and several of them lost their lives trying to contain it. Even the mages in the city had no idea how to tame such a beast. That is, until one girl stood up in opposition to the monster._

_We Incubators had no idea who she contracted with, but she was a Magical Girl all the same. She wasn't alone, either; there were six other people with her. Two boys and four girls, all appearing to have Contracted with an Incubator, yet no one knew with whom they had._

_They even had the legendary artifacts with them._

_The girl, their leader, faced the darkness and said "I am the Goddess of Love. I am supported by the Goddess of Hope. My friends and I shall save you from Despair!"_

_And then the real battle had begun._

_People say that the monster was called "The Dawn of Hyades". Why it had such an odd name is unknown. But those seven children, the "Shiroi Chōchin", the "Pleiades Knights", protected the city._

_Their leader is our Goddess. The pink-haired beauty with white wings - the merciful maiden with the red Soul Gem. We search for her, even today._

* * *

**鬼神**

* * *

Some things never changed. These Demons they were hunting down gathered in the same spots that Witches did and could be tracked down using one's Soul Gem. Madoka couldn't use her own because, as she tried to explain to Hōmura, it would pick up all of the Demons in the surrounding area and they would probably be led in circles the entire afternoon.

Doutor Coffee was located in the mall, so they decided to try and find a Demon within the area.

They had walked only a couple of blocks away from the mall when Mami's Soul Gem reacted rather violently. It began to shine as brightly as a lantern, and it radiated heat like a tiny fire within her palms. Their party of four was facing a wall right beside a dark alleyway. While perched on Madoka's shoulder, Kyūbey shivered and clung close to his 'Master'.

_'I always hate going near these places_.'

"We've reached the Closed Space." Mami told her three tag-alongs.

Hōmura could feel the deathly cold aura surrounding the place, mush different than the surreal and mind numbing feeling that a Witches' Barrier gave off. She took her staff out of her bag in case she needed to defend herself. After all, she wasn't as powerless as she had been in the other universe before she Contracted, so she might as well carry her weight.

'_Good thinking, Akemi-chan_.' Kyūbey praised her for thinking of such a thing. _'Mage magic should help us as well_.'

Etched in the brick was an unfolding flower made up of triangles. They stepped through the glowing symbol on the wall once Mami had activated the entrance.

"Alright everyone, time to find it." She announced. Mami turned around, tracing the ground with her foot, creating a circle of light below her. It shone upwards, along with a strong wind, bathing her in gold for a few seconds and changing her clothes as it did. Her uniform skirt became a muted yellow, and the hem gained a slim brown stripe. Her hat and Soul Gem materialized, the metal loops no longer golden, but were now silver, and the feather attached to the cap was grey instead of white. A portion of her Puella Magi battle uniform that had once been white was now a light grey. However, her Soul Gem was shining a bright gold, as if she had Contracted yesterday.

"Watch out for Subordinates." Warned Madoka. Her bow popping up within her hands despite not transforming. She took note of the poorly drawn stick figures ambling towards the group and raised her bow up to shoot.

"Wh-what?" Blurted out Hōmura, staring at the rose-bow. Its signature flower at the top was now a deep bloody red, and Madoka didn't seem at all surprised that Hōmura was having a reaction to this.

'_Kami-sama can wield her weapon without transformin_g.' Kyūbey explained. '_She's just that powerful! Isn't she amazing_?'

"Y-Yeah." Hōmura looked a bit crestfallen, but tried to regain her courage. She watched as Madoka picked off the Subordinates with a few carefully aimed arrows. The three girls ventured on deeper into the Closed Space.

Around them were piles of paper everywhere. Ink pots and pens were scattered within the dimension, dancing and spinning around in circles. The Subordinates were much like Familiars in their attack patterns, so it wasn't too hard to dispose of them. They were either stick figures or random scribbles of ink that tried to claim hold of the girls and Kyūbey.

Hōmura summoned some fire with _Incendio_ to keep back a wave of out-of-control scribbles. The blue flames made the stringy things writhe in pain and back away. Most of them hardened into black curved statues from the heat.

"How much further?" She asked, giving a sideways glance at her comrades.

"Not too much, we probably-" Mami was cut off by a long roaring noise. Up ahead a perpetual fountain of ink was spewing upwards in a column. The sludge grew arms and had two glowing white eyes near the top of the fountain. Before them its name was displayed in the same runes that Madoka and Hōmura were accustomed to:

_Gregor_

_The Demon of the Arts_

_Nature: Diligence_

"…There!"

"Hōmura, stand back." Mami had already summoned her guns, the silver shafts sticking up from the ground and surrounding her in a circle. "You too, Kyūbey." One gun, point, shoot, repeat. Her method of fighting was nothing special, or so she told herself. Adding in all the twirling and jumping made her look spectacular though. Each shot made a small portion of the monster dissolve, but it regenerated pretty quickly.

Madoka was off to the side shooting arrows faster than a normal human could possibly accomplish. It rained upon the Subordinates, giving Mami room to launch a full-scale attack on the Demon directly.

Hōmura did what she could, keeping them at bay with her fire as usual.

"_Colpo Brigata_!"

So Mami still named her attacks in Italian, did she? Some things never do change…

An inky arm swung in Hōmura's direction, but the former Meganekko did a surprisingly fast split, dropping to the ground, rolling away and aiming her staff at the monster.

"Hōmura!" Shouted Madoka over the commotion, firing arrows at the Demon now. The Subordinates were closing in on her, but at the moment she was preoccupied with defending Hōmura.

'_Kami-sama_!' Kyūbey called out. '_Transform!_'

As much as she didn't want to, it looked like she had no choice. Mami's magical power was great, but since the monster was made up of an inky, liquid substance, her magic alone wasn't sufficient to dissolve it quickly enough.

In real-time her transformation was brief, almost instantaneous, but to those who have been to the Otherspace where Madokami resides, it lasted for quite a while.

It was her and Madokami, floating across from one another in the light. The Goddess took hold of her other self by the hands like before, and on our Madoka a pair of pure white gloves sprouted forth in a flurry of petals. The ribbons around them were a dark red, as well as part of the corset that appeared around her waist. The bottom ruffled part of her skirt burst from nothingness as well, a nice dark lead color that matched the top of her sleeves. The front of her corset was black, except for the ruffles and buttons.

Lastly, the Goddess gave her a blessing by kissing her on the forehead, gaining two ruby ribbons that matched her corset and shoes.

In the instant she transformed, there was a shimmer of light and the clothes popped into existence in an explosion of sparkles. The Subordinates surrounding her had dissolved, and she aimed her bow at the Demon that Mami was so busy attacking.

Hōmura watched her friend with awe, her mouth open in a little 'o' to see such a different appearance.

The only thing she could think of though was _'Kaname-chan looks good in red._'

And then Madoka let go an arrow. "_Pfeil Sturm_"

It was larger than the usual shining pink bolts of energy she let loose. It split apart into several thousand tinier arrows and hit the Demon. It squealed in pain, having been separated into thousands of little dark droplets. In the middle of them, though, they spotted its heart.

'Now's your chance!' Kyūbey pointed out to Mami, in which the gunner nodded in agreement.

"_Tiro…_" Her signature giant gun popped up within her arms. She made sure the glowing remnant of the monster was in sight before pulling the trigger. "_Finale!_"

The dimension around them faded away and they were standing in front of the wall once more, as if they dreamed the whole thing up.

Mami and Madoka were in their school uniforms again, smiling at Hōmura.

"Looks like we had a good night." Mami exclaimed, holding out her palms to her fellow schoolmates. There were 10 coins the size of quarters piled up within them. Engraved on them were two rings overlaid by a teardrop. "Ten Wish Coins!"

"I got the Despair Cube!" Said Madoka, holding up something that looked like a pitch black Rubik's Cube.

* * *

**_wünschen - _****硬貨を希望**

* * *

_Wish coins. They are a manifestation of the energy gathered once a Demon or Wraith is destroyed. Incubators usually take 90% of the energy that the Puella Magi create once they defeat the abominations, but the other 10% materializes as this form of currency._

_You see, the first wish that Incubators grant utilizes the latent energy with a Puella Magi to accomplish the task. After that, Puella Magi can turn to the Incubators after they've collected enough Wish Coins, redeeming another wish._

* * *

_**Later that evening…**_

Hōmura found a box while she was rummaging around under her bed. It was a light blue metal tin that Christmas cookies usually were packaged in, having a strange ribbon with a red and yellow flower-shaped lock. When she touched it, the ribbon came loose in her hands and she decided to open the container.

"..."

There were several bells with dark purple ribbons attached to them. Were they possibly for her hair? Maybe to tie off a ponytail, but Hōmura wasn't about to go back to wearing those girly pigtails. Besides, she realized long ago that they were one of the reasons she had had trouble balancing.

There was also a long necklace that looked like a coiled silver snake, the links that made it up were tiny irregular shapes that resembled scales. Hanging from it was a dark blue jewel the size of a quarter, most likely a sapphire. Finally, there was the book.

It was a dark brown leather-bound volume with worn pages and cracks in the binding.

Impressed on the front in golden capital letters were the words 'Diarium Ejus' and a red Fleur de Liz.

* * *

_**Augh…I promised I wouldn't make the story so slow…but here's what happened.**_

_**Next time, more things happen (obviously) involving Sayaka and Hitomi.**_

_**And now a word from my unofficial Beta-Reader!**_

_**Heavy Lok: "Oh yeah, cheers for not crediting me, Kohaku! I can't believe I had to add this little part! Shame on you, Kohaku! Shame on you! That aside, Latin is so wack."**_


	7. Chapter 7- Something Wicked

**_This latest chapter has been brought to you by Morning Rescue. NOT! It's actually brought to you by my blood, sweat and tears. Thank goodness I drank diet, huh?_**

**_Obsessed over by Yours Truly._**

**_Beta Read by Heavy Lok._**

**_Enjoy._**

* * *

_Your true potential, your True Destiny..._

_It started with one wish..._

_...to rewrite the universe._

_At one point, it branches off — like a tree root..._

_...and becomes two solid destinies._

_In one, she survives — the other, she lives._

_Nothing is whole; nothing is broken._

_Everything is circumstantial._

* * *

_For the Aquos incantation it is like a faucet opening, the mana you release while visualizing the stream of energy is transmuted into water. For Incendio the mana you supply at first is like pouring out gunpowder. To ignite the released mana, you have to visualize your emotions exploding. Everyone's mana is different, and may affect the outcome of the spell in a variety of ways. Mana is life; mana needs to be controlled; mana is what separates us from the Mundane._

**— "Spells and Incantations, Grade One"**

* * *

**未来時**

* * *

The boy with white hair smiled at her. Why was he smiling? Who was he? She did not know at all whom this person was, yet Madoka felt so connected, so warm when he smiled. She could sense the darkness surge around them, threatening to devour the two floating there.

Power — that's what she had.

And this was the only time she would have to use it all.

But then all of a sudden…the dimension cracked...and Madoka woke up — the vision of that boy still imprinted into her memory.

* * *

**純度**

* * *

_The purity of a Puella Magi… Yes, the purity of a Magical Girl is determined by how much white her costume contains. It is a meter of how much optimism and hope she carries — the more white there is, the more naivety; the less white, the more pessimistic she is. The main colors that accompany that are but a reflection of her personality._

_However, the beings they fight are made of despair and death. How can such delicate maidens fight the essence of evil itself and not be tarnished by their miasma? How can they stand to see innocents devoured whole and not become jaded along the way? As their cynicism grows, the white of their uniform gradually fades to grey...and eventually turns to coal black._

* * *

**織姫**

* * *

_'Madoka, do you understand why they call you that?'_

Madoka sighed and looked straight ahead, trying not to glance at the ring as Ms. Saotome lectured about various spell circles and rituals. Instead, she continued to type on her computer every now and then, glancing over the edge of the laptop to steal a glance at Hōmura - the time-traveler was too busy transcribing as many notes as she possibly could, her twiggy fingers moving at an incredible 75 wpm, taking in every word from Kazuko.

She decided not to roll her eyes at the question and focus on trying to pretend she was actually paying attention.

'Of course I do.'

Yes... She knew because of the other timeline that Madokami had shown her: the one from which the Goddess was originally aligned. The memories still swirled within her mind when she found herself drifting into another daydream.

Kyūbey was only a few feet away from her, staring into her eyes, boring through the rose-tinted windows of her soul. He had mocked her friend and taunted her about Walspurgisnacht. The strings of fate had tugged at her heart so tightly she thought they were going to snap. She was ready — her decision had been made. The karma had been building since the moment she died the first time and Hōmura went back to save her. That was what Kyūbey had so joyously discovered while observing the girls, just as eager to contract as before.

It was almost identical up until the wish.

_"I wish to erase every witch before they are born. Every witch from every world, from the past and the future. With my own hands."_

And then the Goddess was born. All of the potential energy from the other time-loops wound themselves around _that_ Madoka and the personification of Hope we all know and love...came into existence.

That wish…was even more treasonous than hers. Destroying all Witches with her own hands? No wonder the paradoxical nature of the wish in question had in-effect obliterated her mortal body.

In the same manner, the energy that had built-up from those other lime-loops… It was the same idea for our Madoka. In essence, when she became a Puella Magi, she had become the most powerful of them all.

Madoka paused to hold her head for a moment. Ever since she had woken up that morning, nothing was the same. First it was magic, then it was Madokami's presence, and lastly it was the knowledge. A part of her wished she didn't know so much, but still...she thanked the Goddess for showing her all that she did.

And from what she had seen in Divination class the other week, she was going to need it to deal with her friends in the upcoming months.

* * *

**家族**

* * *

"So, your Familiar is a Black Butterfly..." Mused the man. "How interesting, Akemi-san." The guidance counselor was looking into her eyes, lost in their youthful luster.

"You say you are a friend of my family?"

"That's right."

She did not know how to respond. In the universe before she gained the ability to control time, she was always alone. Her mother and father had died when she was only ten years old and the only other family she had were either also deceased, or were unable to support her due to their own problems.

"When you mentioned 'The Black Rose'—"

"I'm sorry — did you not want me to talk about her?"

She assumed he was still speaking about her mother. On his desk was a plaque displaying his name in Katakana: "アルビレオカモミール". Akemi wished to address him by name, but she was dumbfounded as to which his first was and which his surname was. It was in Katakana, so she assumed it was written the Western way, but…

"Actually, Sir, I welcome a discussion about my parents."

"Please, don't call me 'Sir'." He breathed in deeply, his face suddenly still. "My name is Albireo Chamomile, but everyone around here calls me 'Chamo-kun', even the students."

"Alright." Hōmura folded her hands in front of her awkwardly. "Chamo-kun..." She blushed lightly at calling a man of his position and age with such a childish name, but Hōmura figured he had his own reasons for it. "You were saying something about my mother?"

"She was— No, she still _is_ the best friend I've ever had."

"I don't think I follow you."

"What I mean is, she never stopped being my friend — even when she died. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. In fact, Akemi-san, I'll be frank with you." He paused, something that should usually be performed in books or movies for effect. "Kaname-dono is the main reason I decided to chat like this with you."

"D-dono?" She was surprized, such an honorific in relation to Madoka was baffling.

His inference to her confused and panicked expression was certainly wrong, but Hōmura had no idea. "Yes, that's right. I know about your little secret."

This couldn't be happening. What was going on? Somehow this was feeling like a really bad plot for an anime - a really BAD one, at that. Not that she_ watched_ anime…

"That's—!"

Mr. Chamomile sighed... She was quite the energetic little girl, wasn't she? "Calm down, you didn't let me finish. I'm trying to tell you that I'm _on your side_."

Homura blinked. "Really?"

"Of course."

This teacher still struck her as odd for some reason and it was not because of his choice of nicknames. "But Kaname didn't want us to talk earlier because of the 'adults'."

He shook his head. "She was talking about the teachers and the Headmaster." Mr. Chamomile cleaned his throat rather loudly. "I, however, am the only exception to the rule. In-fact, your friend is the one who revealed it all to me. Tomoe-san as well."

"I see…"

"I've agreed to help you girls, but I do have only one request."

Hōmura had a bad feeling about this… "It's not something shady, is it?"

He winked. "Nah." A clipboard was pushed in her direction, with a large stack of paper clamped to it. "You just have to sign up your new club formally with the school."

* * *

**天地の猫**

* * *

Hōmura was very quick in adapting to Mahokari Academy. She always had an affinity for learning from the time she was very young; at this current rate, learning about magic was going to be too easy. She had barely held the book for a week and she was already catching up fast. Aside from that slightly rocky first day, no one would have believed it if you told them that Akemi had only recently learned to control her flow of mana.

Madoka looked over Hōmura's shoulder as the dark-haired girl continued to draw upon the piece of paper on her desk. It was their Independent Study period after lunch and, while at the same time, Hōmura was preoccupied with the design that was materializing on-page. The light _skritch skritch_ of a pencil against the 8x11 canvas was the dominant sound in the classroom, as most of the students were roaming around campus. Only Madoka and Hōmura remained — Sayaka was doing who knows what and Hitomi was helping the Gardening Club with their latest harvest of Mandrake Root.

As Ms. Saotome had suggested, Hōmura was working on her personal magical circle. This way, she could focus better when performing elaborate spells and purifying ceremonies. The teacher had already approved of her independent study project and it was already coming along nicely. She just needed her own circle.

"So rumor has it that you two are making a club?" Hitomi asked, strolling into the classroom. She took note of the cozy atmosphere that had formed during their absence, her smile turned quite smug-like.

Hōmura covered over her design quickly with her binder. Madoka glanced at Sayaka and Hitomi, her face shifting from interested to a neutral, but friendly, smile.

"Not just us, but an upperclassman is joining." The girls' eyes widened at that. "Tomoe Mami."

The corner of Sayaka's mouth turned down, but she stopped herself from frowning and tried to seem fascinated at the declaration. Mami Tomoe was, of course, the daughter of the CEO of Tomo Industries and the second most powerful mage of her year. Why, everyone could see Tomoe Tower watching over all of Mahokari City.

"Sounds pretty cool." The bluenette remarked, flipped her hair. "Who's the teacher overseeing it?"

Madoka pressed her index finger to her own lips before looking up to the ceiling in thought.

"Um…Chamo-kun will be our sponsor."

Sayaka nodded, but then her head stopped bobbing. Wait a second...

"Whaaat?" For some reason the announcement was especially shocking, but Hōmura and Madoka could not figure out why. "That crazy creepy guidance counselor? You gotta be joking!"

"Oh, Sayaka-chan." Hitomi uttered her name, looking at the girl with disapproval. "That's mean! He _is_ your uncle after all."

"Uncle?"

The other two girls mused aloud at the same time with confusion before making way for realization. Hōmura and Madoka could not contain their amusement. Both of their faces had broken into smiles and were trying to stifle the leaking laughter.

"It isn't funny!" Sayaka insisted while roaring and stomping around like Godzilla. Obviously, this had struck a nerve — why else would she dislike her own Uncle?

* * *

**笑**

* * *

Later that afternoon after Divination class Hitomi, Madoka, Hōmura, and Sayaka were filing out of the classroom when they noticed something. Waiting for them near the doorway was a familiar blonde-haired heiress. It was none other than Mami Tomoe.

"Hey, guys." Mami smiled, her schoolbag slung over her left shoulder.

"Mami-san, we didn't expect you to be here." Hōmura said casually, which got her another nasty look from Sayaka. The others didn't notice it, though.

"Well, I just came by to say 'hi' before we meet." The older girl rocked on her heels and looked down, seemingly shy.

"That's right, today's the first meeting!" Madoka clapped her hands and bounced where she stood. This was going to be the best: Mami, Hōmura, Kyūbey and she were going to be together, fighting Despair and creating Hope.

'_Have fun.'_

Sayaka pulled on the strap of her bag. It had chaffing her shoulder lately, but she didn't bother to buy a new one. "You guys going to take long with your 'super-secret' club?" From her tone, Madoka could tell she wasn't too pleased to be excluded from their activities.

Mami spoke for the three of them, gazing at Sayaka and presenting her most kind smile.

"Not really."

"Meet you at Tirol later?" Added Madoka to soften their parting.

Hitomi suddenly spoke up. "Actually, we're going to visit Kamijō-kun." The green-eyed girl locked eyes with Mami, but there was no malice in the action. She fluttered her eyelashes a few times. There was something about the upperclassman that was…_off_. "Have fun!" Hitomi suddenly took Sayaka's hand and dragged her away rather quickly.

Madoka's slightly despondent eyes mirrored Hōmura's current expression.

Both of them could sense an awful aura emanating from those two. It was just too good to be true. To avert disaster, something had to be done...for something wicked was about to come.

* * *

**...**

* * *

The two girls were quite far away from the school when Sayaka slumped over, her shoulders hunched as if a yoke was balanced on her shoulders. Her face was covered by her aqua bangs as she gritted her teeth in frustration. "They're up to something, I just know it." It was suspicious how quickly Madoka had risen to stardom. And then comes along Akemi - she was practically glued to Madoka the second she arrived. To add even more angst to the poor blue-haired girl, they were now friends with an upperclassman.

"What are you talking about?" Hitomi sighed and glanced at the moping girl. She knew Sayaka was somewhat right about her suspicions, but didn't want to stir up trouble in the end.

"It's all too…contrived." Sayaka wasn't sure if that was the _proper_ word to describe the situation, but she was having trouble trying to sort out what exactly was going on behind their backs.

"Supplementary natural?" Hitomi suggested, trying to sort out the correct meaning of her friends words. They were both panting, so it was a bit hard to make out.

"No! Contrived!"

"It _is_ natural waving." Hitomi agreed, this time deliberately trying to change the subject with puns.

"Hitomi-chan…"

The high-class girl snickered and patted Sayaka on the shoulder. "I was just playing around!"

Two blue marbles rolled in their sockets. "Let's just get to the hospital, okay?"

"Rojā!" ("Roger!")

* * *

**...**

* * *

His arms and legs were no longer broken, but the nerves were so severely damaged. The Healers at Mahokari Medical Centre were at a loss. When the accident happened, the ambulance should have gotten there sooner, but the distance to the hospital had impeded that. If it had arrived earlier, maybe the damage to his arms and legs would not have been so hard to heal...and his nerves would have been restored along with the missing tissue. But, it had taken an hour to get there and, despite them putting him in stasis, it was still too long for a complete recovery.

The only hope Kamijō had was a specialized Healer from France, but the only downside was how much it would cost. His family was part of the aristocracy — very old magic, but their name wasn't enough. The money had been dwindling lately and the only thing they had left was the Manor and their Status.

And adding to the anguish, their only child was probably paralyzed from the waist down.

* * *

**…**

* * *

A pink-haired girl in a hospital bed. A fork still clenched in her fist as she smiled weakly at the middle-aged woman sitting near her bedside. The remnants of a cheesecake were on the post in front of her and on the nightstand to the left.

The woman brushed away the girl's bangs, fighting back her tears. Two months had stretched into two years, but the girl was finally at her limits.

As she was still stroking her forehead, the child looked up at the woman with those robin-blue eyes as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I finally got to eat cheesecake with you, Mommy."

"Yes, you did."

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too."

There was no hope for them.

There was no hope.

Down the middle of a pitch black cube a fissure appeared, accompanied by a loud sickening crack.

And so the Despair Cube grew...

{Kyūbey} looked on with interest. This new world's laws had given him a very twisted (at least by human standards) idea.

* * *

_There are many different types of magic, but most of it is fueled by the same thing: Mana - it is generated through a combination of emotion and thought. For a short period of time, a Mage may no longer be able to use magic if he runs out of Mana, which is determined by either blood sugar levels or Will._

_However, overexertion is not advised no matter how strong your will is. The extreme stress that the body takes on to create extra Mana is highly dangerous and may lead to a number of symptoms. The most common results are often renal failure, hypoglycemia, rapid weight gain, dehydration, extreme fatigue, blackouts and, in very serious cases, cardiac arrest. However, it is sometimes the only way to 'strengthen your muscles' so to speak, as it can greatly increase how much Mana you can store and handle._

_That is why young Magelings are trained from a young age to control their Mana. The younger you are, the easier it is to bounce back from Magical Exhaustion._

**— "Advanced Spellcasting, Volume One"**

* * *

_This life is doomed to a lifetime without love._

_Those who keep on fighting, they're the true "warriors of love."_

* * *

**_This latest chapter. Really was interesting, no?_**

**_Beta read by Heavy Lok, _**_**my ever-expedient editor.**_

**_Also, as I may have hinted, this story might not end well. I really didn't want that to happen, but then I realized something. In this story I have the miracle of a Multiverse! Once this saga/trilogy ends, I shall start a new project entitled "Magistra Magi Homura Magica". It shall have lightsabers and everything!_**

**_And now a word from my un-official Beta-Reader!_**

_**Heavy Lok: "Ugh! Some of your sentences are so hard to fix! No biggy, though. I'll provide a review for this chapter shortly...after sleeping. One last thing: 'Chamo-kun?' Sounds a lot like 'camel-kun'! AHAHAHAH! ...sorry. I'll stop now."**_


	8. Chapter 8- Strawberry Leech Pt1

_**I wonder if you got it yet? If not, this should clear up things. Updates should be a lot faster these days…I hope. Um….as I said before about harsh language, look out. There's an F-bomb out here somewhere.**_

_**Beta-read by Heavy Lok.**_

* * *

**予感**

* * *

_'My name is Kuroneko Keiko Kaname.'_ Said the disembodied voice in Hōmura's mind. _'But you can call me Kuro-chan for short.'_ At once she raised her hand and stood up, trembling as she did. A strange presence had filled her mind...and her thoughts were being overshadowed.

Ms. Katsuragi called on her, wondering why the child's hand was trembling so much.

_'Is there a problem, Akemi-san?'_

"Are we supposed to hear voices?" Hōmura was trying and failing to keep her composure as control of her body was being wrested away from her. A strange scratchy sensation in the back of her throat made her want to gag.

_'Why… Sometimes, but—'_ She noticed a cloud of darkness filling the young girl's eyes as Hōmura got to her feet._ 'Child, you need to settle down!'_

Hōmura clenched her fists, the madness overtaking her completely.

_'Akemi-chan?!'_

* * *

_**-Your burden is now your power-**_

* * *

The odor, so savory and fragrant — Kyōko loved the smell when it was still fresh. And it was always different! Sometimes it was fruitier, other times more woodsy. Oh, the choices, the choices! There were only two, but she couldn't decide. One had more body and an oaky taste from what she could ascertain from smell alone. However, the other bouquet was slightly nutty with a hint of caramel. She looked at the Taiyaki in her hand and then back to the street. Kyōko usually would have to decide between the two, but not tonight.

She decided to scarf down the pastry and pursue the girls as dessert.

* * *

**香り**

* * *

Madoka wandered into class alongside Hōmura, talking over last night's homework. They had to decipher several runes and complete a few complex incantations from their spellbooks. The Greek and Latin had to be changed into the right ablative and genitive cases, while the Hindi was to have the correct dative case. It was very complicated work, so they and Mami had chosen to study together before going out to search for Demons. They waited at Tirol for quite some time, though, and it was troubling when, after two hours, the girls had not shown up.

A girl in their class ran up to the newly formed duo. "Have you guys heard?"

Hōmura noted, with a bit of sympathy, that this was the girl who never seemed to have a laptop. Her light brown hair was quite disheveled this morning as Hōmura wondered how she was faring lately. In another timeline she disappeared in a rather unsettling matter — Patricia had lured the girl into her barrier and eaten her.

The memory of her flesh being torn from her bones — it made her shudder. Hōmura was suddenly pale. All of the blood spilling from the corpse held in its giant, reaching fingers, dripped onto the concrete. It pooled in large ruby puddles at her feet. That specific memory for some reason kept flooding back so suddenly… She didn't know how she would handle speaking to this girl.

It somehow made the phrase 'dead girl walking' take on a whole new meaning.

"What are you talking about?" Asked Madoka, a careful eye trained on Homura. The other girl had noticed her friend had begun to turn into an alarming shade of grey.

"It's in the latest addition of _Witches Weekly_, of course!" The girl, Emi Etsuko, was perturbed by their apparent ignorance.

At mention of the infamous magazine Madoka rolled her eyes. Her mother seemed to loathe the publication despite buying every single copy every week for ¥1500 per issue. "Oh, that. My mother said it was probably just a rumor." She could still recall Junko's rant over last week's 'scandal' about Bigfoot and a herd of enchanted mountain goats.

Emi was stricken, her face contorted into that of immense pain. "What? No. Witches Weekly always tells the truth." Their homeroom's newfound heroine didn't like _Witches Weekly_? Impossible! Worse, it was_IMPOSSIBRU_! "They're bound by an Honesty Oath when they sign their contracts."

Our pink-haired Puella Magi shrugged. Maybe that was true, but even if the _writers_ were thoroughly convinced that it was accurate didn't make it so that it was. "Maybe an independent writer sent in the article? This couldn't be true..."

The brunette was still in shock that Madoka was not into the magazine. However, their conversation with Emi was cut short when a certain tomboy walked into class.

"What are you yammering about?" Sayaka ambled over to the three of them, a slight, but not too noticeable, limp in her step. Her hair was visibly ruffled, as if it refused to cooperate this morning. On her wrist and left cheek they noticed some white squares stuck to her skin—bandages.

Madoka knew better than to comment on her injuries. The same went for Hōmura.

"There were two vampire attacks the other night!" Emi said immediately.

Sayaka scoffed then shut her eyes in annoyance, tilting her head down and to the side as if shunning the poor girl.

"Is that so? How do you know that?" Her voice had hints of challenge in it. Or was that impatience?

"Well..." Emi looked askance.

The other girl never paused in her criticism. Sayaka continued to discredit the magazine, though the confidence in her patronizing smile was artificial. "Witches Weekly? That's a gossip rag. You actually believed it? What a laugh."

Emi balled her fists and put them in front of her, under her chin. "You wouldn't be laughing if you got attacked! Fangs hurt a lot you know."

"Even if it was true, I-I'm not afraid of any vampire!" Sayaka said rather shakily. "Why, if I met one, I'd…I'd…"

_Ding-dong, dong-ding._

Her eyes lost whatever fire they had before, taking a quick glance at Hitomi's desk before closing once more. "…nevermind." She whispered, mostly to herself. Sayaka brushed past Emi and sat at her desk, slowly taking out her wand and laptop and setting them down.

Hōmura bit her lip. This behavior was more than irregular.

* * *

**…**

* * *

Before class started in the mornings, there was usually an announcement. This morning was no different as the students settled into their desks, the PA coming to life.

_"As I'm sure most of you already know, there has been a warning issued for our District." _The secretary's voice warbled with an uneasy tone. "_A very powerful magical creature has appeared, and the authorities have been tracking it since it arrived in the city._"

"I told you!" Emi stage-whispered at the other girls from across the room.

Ms. Saotome raised her staff in warning. Emi shrunk into her seat, suddenly propping up a textbook in front of her face.

_"As a result, the Headmaster has announced that the afterschool activities for today have been cancelled until further notice. We aren't completely sure that the wards will keep the threat at bay, and it has claimed several victims from this school already._"

The teacher noted with some concern that a student was missing, but attributed it to mere coincidence. Maybe Shizuki-san was simply out sick?

* * *

**狩猟**

* * *

Madoka, Mami, and Hōmura were in search of Demons again tonight. The three were strolling down the sidewalk with Mami leading them, her Soul Gem tucked away in her bag this time. This part of Mahokari was actually quite dangerous. A lot of thieves and criminals were prone to hang around this neighborhood, and if they saw a cute girl holding something that looked like jewelry out in the open, well... Let's just say that it would be gone.

Squatting on a rooftop nearby was a certain hotheaded redhead with an eating disorder. She watched the trio from the shadows and continuously licked her lips.

"Oh, those look tasty."

Her red eyes began to take on the dark smile that was growing more and more pronounced.

A pure-white quadruped with dark indigo eyes landed next to the girl. It turned its head in her direction and began to wash itself. '_Feeling gluttonous tonight, Kyōko-chan_?'

Kyōko wasn't surprised to see the Incubator. She continued to watch the three as they walked away."Inkyū-sensei. What are you doing here?"

The creature shrugged as she curled her tail around herself. '_Making sure you don't do anything __**too **__stupid_.'

"Stupid? What do you take me for, some rookie?"

The Incubator smiled.

'_No. But for the past week you've been acting like when you were just a Newborn_.'

She bared her fangs and hissed silently. Lately, it was true. For some reason she had felt more thirsty than usual, which meant she had to hunt more often.

"Fuck off."

Inkyū closed her eyes and continued to smile patronizingly.

'_That wasn't very polite_…'

Kyōko ignored that last haughty remark. She should have thrown her off the roof for saying something like that.

"I'll do whatever the hell I want, thank you very much."

Inkyū made an awkward tilting gesture with her head — the Incubator version of a shrug.

'_Alright. Your funeral._'

Puzzled, Kyōko raised an eyebrow at the Incubator, but the tiny stubborn thing refused to say any more. The girl considered asking what Inkyū meant, but instead she jumped from the ledge, her long red hair flowing behind her like a banner.

She ran without bounds in pursuit of Mami and the others. The night wind filled her with a wild sense of freedom that you couldn't buy anywhere. Above, the stars watched anxiously as to how the latest development would play out.

It wasn't long before Kyōko met up with them, either.

Hōmura was the most shocked out of anyone. Kyōko Sakura wasn't supposed to arrive until April 5th! She was a day early, at least.

"H-hey." Kyōko said, pretending to pant. "I'm sort of lost."

Mami smiled, but Madoka and Hōmura did not. This was indeed Kyōko Sakura and she was indeed a Puella Magi as Kyūbey's sources had confirmed. But still, the odd, predatory aura she often held was amplified by ten-fold. Madoka had inquired him of her the first time they met up, he seemed to know quite a bit about the girl.

"You need some help?"

Madoka and Hōmura kept silent.

Mami's trusting grin was all Kyōko needed. She turned the full force of her dark red stare on the blonde.

"Y-yeah, _something_ like that."

The upperclassman was enthralled by those. How could she have not noticed this poor young girl roaming by herself? She was Puella Magi Mami, a girl fighting for hope and justice! She was to help this girl at all costs. Mami reached out for her, to comfort the redhead with a simple hug before they were to embark on their journey together.

Kyōko's mouth spread into a sickeningly sinister expression of glee. Her fangs clearly visible in the dim light, but unnoticed by Mami.

That was no rumor from before; it was definitely real. And Kyōko just happened to be the source of it all. Unfortunately, they had figured it out too late.

It all happened very quickly.

Hōmura blanched. Madoka sprung forward. Kyōko's jaws snapped shut over the empty spot where Mami's neck once was. The two girls fell to the ground and looked up. The assailant had two glowing spheres for eyes and her fingers were curled in anger. Mami was unconscious as a result of Madoka breaking the trance Kyouko had put upon her.

"That wasn't very smart of you." Kyōko turned only her head to look at the fallen Puella Magi, her breathing becoming heavier. She was getting ready to pounce, her muscles already primed for the action.

A shout from the darkness startled the three of them.

"_AQUOS_!"

From behind the vampire a jetstream of water doused her from head to toe, distracting her long enough for Madoka and Hōmura to try and lift up Mami. Sayaka stepped into view, her wand gripped in her hand and a cross in the other. She was getting ready to let loose another blast, but Kyōko had other ideas.

"Αφήστε τις φλόγες περικυκλώνουν μου"

A ring of fire sprouted from the air, encircling Kyōko around the waist. It dried her off instantly, the steam blinding the others. Sayaka had to cover her face to protect it from the heat whilst trying to run over to where the others were. Madoka left Mami with her friend and took out her Soul Gem.

Her transformation wasn't as flashy as before. Either it was due to it being dampened by the steam or the urgency of the situation, but one thing was assured: Madoka was beyond angry.

Her eyes were glowing the same color as Kyōko's as she stepped forward. It was the most visible thing in the night under the streetlamp they were standing near.

The vampire narrowed her eyes. Inkyū, that bitch! Did she really have to be so vague? Sure, Kyōko could normally handle Magelings with no problem, but other Puella Magi were usually a much bigger threat.

And this one she could sense was unbelievably powerful.

Nevertheless, that did not quell her anger. Instead, she stood her ground, ready for a full-blown battle. She snapped her fingers, dark bitter laugher echoing from her mouth. The outfit that materialized was similar to the previous world's. The only exception being the color and absence of a Soul Gem. The red long coat lined with white ruffles was now a bubblegum pink and the skirt on the inside now matched her hair. The boots were the same color as her coat while everything was trimmed with white as usual.

The most peculiar thing had to be the empty spot on her chest where the Soul Gem should have been.

"I warn you." Madoka clenched her fist, ready to summon a bow. "Stop now and you might be spared."

"Oh, well look who's got some big britches!" Kyōko laughed again, her spear already in her hands. "If you had just let me take what I wanted, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Sayaka didn't know what exactly was going on, but she did know that this so-called girl had to be stopped. She was a threat to the city...and Sayaka was going to stop her. "Back! Back I say!" The bluenette lifted the cross in front of her, trying to shoo Kyōko off.

Immediately upon seeing the item she cringed, dropping the spear.

The others figured that crosses really did work, watching as Sayaka continued her "attack".

"Augh! No! Nooooo!" The girl shrieked. She curled up into a ball on the sidewalk, twitching in pain. With each step closer that Sayaka took, Kyōko would writhe franticly. Sayka had gotten as far as standing right over her.

She was about to deal the death blow, when she heard a terrifying noise.

It was laughter.

It started slowly at first, but then erupted into mad peals of irate humor.

"A cross, huh?" She smirked. "Like hell I would fall for that one!"

Kyōko took up her weapon and was about to slash Sayaka in the abdomen. Before she could attack, Madoka stepped in between them, quicker than lightning. Her palm gently kept the spear at bay by the pole, and in her left hand she had a crossbow adorned by a rose in the same manner as her usual weapon.

Two flashes of pink light shot out of its end, impaling both her shoulders. The force drove them and Kyōko herself to slam into the wall.

"Mado-ka?"

Sayaka hadn't exactly witnessed her friend's transformation due to the steam, but she now could see clearly that her friend was far different than she had been a second ago. This outfit…belonged more in an anime than in real life. Since she was a mage, she had learned to take the improbable easier than a Mundane would. But still, this was a stretch.

"Magical Girls" just didn't exist in real life!

"…the hell…" Kyōko peeled herself off of the brick, wincing at the holes left by the arrows. Her skin and muscle were already reconstructing themselves, the pain worse than five hangover headaches. Except it was centered in her arms and she could feel every single cell regenerating. Mostly it itched, though, to be honest, but it was a major annoyance.

The whole process was preferable to bleeding to death, that's for sure.

"…do you think you are, mortal?!" From where she stood, Kyōko could tell that this girl was odd for a Puella Magi. The power-output for one… It was like that major attack was 'going easy' for her. Still, she was human — Kyōko could tell from scent alone, making her very blood boil with fury that this simple girl had injured her so severely.

"I'm no 'mere mortal'." Madoka said in correction to the redhead's statement. Her eyes flashed red once more. "I am Madoka Kaname. Nice to meet you."

She was trying her best to stay cordial after treating Kyōko so roughly. Madoka knew that, for Kyōko, this defeat would soon turn into friendship. That was, if Madoka maintained a cool head and a sweet persona.

* * *

_**I want to know how you liked this first mini-story arc! Hope it was to your satisfaction.**_

_**And now a word from my un-official Beta-Reader!**_

_**Heavy Lok: "What is this?! Kyōko is a vampire?! This is like something out of my Japanese animes! Oh, wait... That aside, ANOTHER KANAME AND A FEMALE INCUBATOR?! This is a complete and unexpected development! I clap to you for originality, but will it blow us away? Maybe it already has! Stay tune for another exciting chapter of Puella Magi Yūko Magica!"**_


	9. Chapter 9- Strawberry Leech Pt2

_**This chapter turned out really Kyōko-centric. But that's okay because it's her story arc.**_

_**Beta-Read by Heavy Lok. (THEY'RE THE BEST.)**_

* * *

_Your magic is linked to emotion. Timing, intent and feeling are all major factors, besides the phases of the moon._

– _Intermediate Spell Theory, vol.1_

* * *

**探求**

* * *

_Before we initiated our quest, we Incubators went in search of viable worlds. Each new one that held life had its own potential. However, Earth was the most promising. It was there we found something truly amazing. The first miracle we ever observed. Beings who could use magic of their own volition, surpassing Entropy itself!_

_The other planets were not so enlightened._

_Yet not soon after our arrival on Earth, we noticed a disturbing fact. Yes, due to our exposure to humankind, a change had occurred within our race. A mutation. An unwanted evolution. We Incubators began developing these things you call "feelings". Joy, anger, jealousy, loneliness…despair._

_We understood your actions fully now. We understood none of our actions at first._

_At the same time…it was maddening._

_To one day awaken with the "feeling" of "sadness" or "guilt" was almost too much to neither comprehend nor handle. Most of us nearly went insane from the onset of this sudden mental illness._

_But we adapted, as we always do._

* * *

**懸念**

* * *

Mami led the procession to her house, scowling in the lowlight as she held the golden ropes that were now encircled around the night-time fiend. The redhead shifted a bit, grunting from the tightness of the restraints surrounding her. It was a precaution they had to make, despite Kyōko's promise to not cause any trouble.

Obviously, no one wanted to take the chance considering her recent string of attacks in the city.

"You know, this is only for your own good." Mami gripped the ropes tighter, and they responded in turn by tightening.

Kyōko ignored the subtle change in pain. "Yeah, yeah, like I've never heard that before." She replied back in a sarcastic tone.

They had arrived at the Tomoe residence rather late, around 8PM, so the lampposts surrounding the manor-like dwelling were already switched on. Mami was the only child of the most affluent family in the city, so to Sayaka and Madoka, it was no surprise. For Hōmura it reflected a lack of research on her part. She hadn't counted on Mami's parents actually being _alive_ in this universe. If that was the case, then why weren't her own parents with her? Were they always doomed to die? From the rumors Hōmura had validated were true, she knew they had died fighting some terrible threat. But the details of such threat were unclear, so that was where the trail stopped cold.

The crown molding and wrought iron fixtures had hinted at a very well-to-do family, as well as the hardwood floors, marble and travertine tiles throughout the home.

Mrs. Tomoe had been in the living room, enjoying a cup of tea. Her golden eyes were weary with sleep and worry, but when she saw her daughter and friends walk into the foyer she practically sprang from the plush white couch and sprinted to them.

"Mami." She said this with an insurmountable relief. "You've already returned from your job?" Airi Tomoe could breathe a sigh of relief now that her daughter was safe and sound. This strange new group of girls was much larger than the usual two friends she had recently began bringing home. It peaked not only her interest but mild suspicion.

The flaxen-haired daughter smiled brighter than the sun. "Yes, Mother. I brought some friends." It was almost too bright, noted Airi, but then again, such a terrifying duty would cause anyone to hide behind a shell of false happiness to cope.

She noticed Kyōko's current state of affairs. "Why is one of them tied up?" Mrs. Tomoe briefly wondered what kind of activities her daughter was really up to, but the immediate response was so candid in its factuality that Airi truly was alarmed.

"She's a vampire." Mami answered without missing a beat, the cheery tone never wavering in its optimism.

Airi quickly buried the fear threatening to rip from her throat in a scream. Instead she opted for the 'accepting parent' role. "Oh. I see." It was no mere coincidence what she read in this week's magazine, then. "The one who attacked those people?" She asked with some trepidation coating her nonchalance.

A nod from her daughter. "Yes. But she's a Magical Girl too, so please don't worry."

As expected of Mami, the girl was so fearless in her declaration of safety.

"I…see. Are your friends staying over?"

Madoka raised her right hand, which beheld a bright red cellphone with several keychains hanging from the antenna. "I've already called my mom."

"That's good Kaname-chan. Everyone else?" Airi clapped her hands together in a false show of delight. At lease Kaname-chan was a responsible young lady, even though her status as a Puella Magi was kept a secret from her family.

The pinkette drew Sayaka under her arm and pulled their cheeks close enough to tough. "Miki-san has yet to call, but she will." Her eye switched to stare at Sayaka from a peripheral view, a clear cue to nod in agreement.

Out of fear of her apparently very powerful friend, Sayaka complied with the hint. She nodded rather nervously. "Y-y-yeah. I'm going to call."

"I guess everyone's set then. You girls have fun."

Mami lead the others down a hallway lined with black and white marble tiles. It was the path to her room, and they had quite some time to spend together. Especially since they had captured the vampire everyone had been so in fear of.

"If you need us, Mother, we'll be in the E-sphere."

"E-sphere?" Sayaka and Kyōko couldn't help but mutter as they made their way to the strange new location.

* * *

**...**

* * *

It turns out that an 'E-sphere' was an abbreviated version of the phrase _Ѐlleipsi̱ Chrónou_, (Time Sphere) the proper name of the giant glass globe in front of them. It was a very powerful (not to mention _expensive_) magical object mounted on the pedestal in front of them. Inside one could see a large castle-like building surrounded by an artificial beach and ocean. In front of the pedestal was a large spell circle, and it was here that Mami and the crew stood and waited.

"You mean we're going in there?" Sayaka looked ready to run, but she couldn't because Madoka had a firm grip on her shoulder.

"Of course." Madoka said in unison with Mami.

"But these things are so rare, how did you affor—"

Mami gave Sayaka a look. For the Tomoes, money was literally no object, so she took offence to the question.

The bluenette shrunk back as if slapped. "Oh, right."

"Hold her for me." Instructed Mami, to which Madoka took over custody of the prisoner, and the ropes around the vampire changed to pink as a result.

Mami took out her wand from behind her ear where she most often placed it when she entered her home. She traced a five-point star in the air, golden light outlining the form when she did.

"_Aperi_!" (Lit. "Open!") In response, they were washed in light for a few seconds, but it faded. The girls were suddenly standing on a large stone platform, and below their feet the same magic circle was etched into the ground. Mami went on walking without a moment's hesitation, and one by one the others tentatively followed. They were in the middle of a courtyard.

Not just any courtyard, though. It was a large, flat and square area made of concrete. Surrounding it was a jagged formation of rock, much like a cave wall, and just beyond that was a path. Beside that path on the right was a wall of clear, rushing liquid. In other words, a waterfall. It went as far as the horizon from their point of view at the moment, but in the distance all could see the castle that they noticed when looking upon the sphere from the outside. It had an extensive forest around it, and surrounding the castle and its domain was a beach with pure white sand.

"Welcome." Said Mami to the band of four behind her. "To our 'Little Garden'."

* * *

**...**

* * *

If Sayaka was uncomfortable before, she was even more so now. She was just a normal little witch who hoped she could pass this year's Levelling Up exam. She had a _normal_ life filled with the occasional backfired spells or wrongfully prepared potions. No. No. This was bordering on crazy fantasy-like dreamlands. For one, she had only heard that a Time Sphere was one of those Legendary items you could earn by completing a Quest given by a Demon Lord or Goddess. Second, even if they were real, getting your hands on one without completing a Quest would be unbelievably expensive. Especially since it would have been made by some genius of a Mage, and would have to have had a hell of a lot of complicated spell-work for it to be made. Three, she just didn't know what to believe anymore.

Sayaka just walked behind Hōmura, her mouth a flat line, and her eyes nearly unblinking as she took in the scenery. It didn't take as long as she thought to arrive at the castle. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was busy observing the aesthetics of the space, but it did surprise her at any rate.

Once they passed the front door and other formalities of the castle, they were directed to a sitting room by Mami herself. Surprised at the modern décor, Kyōko asked if she could be released.

Madoka tilted her head to the side. '_I__t'll be fine_.' The girl's assurance was transmitted to the older girl through their telepathic link.

"Alright."

Madoka released her grip on the restraints and then snapped her fingers. They fell away and then disappeared into pink dust.

"Thanks." The vampire stretched a bit, rubbing her neck and shoulders. She rolled her head around until she heard a loud _crack_, then sat _seiza_-style at the table in front of them. It was a _kotatsu_, a low study table that had a blanket covering the open sides. Underneath was a heater to warm them up after their brisk walk from the landing site. Madoka and Hōmura joined her without any problem. Mami had skipped off to the kitchenette in the quaint sitting room, fetching them some of her school-famous snack cakes along with some jasmine tea. There was a tiny burner for the teapot in the corner, next to the tiny refrigerator with cat stickers on the front.

Hōmura sat at the table, observing the strange similarity to Mami's apartment before the universe had been reset. Since Mami and Madoka had no problem with Kyōko in her current state, she might as well relax her guard and enjoy her time with her friends while she was at it. Still, Madoka was baffled as to why she was still wearing that stone-cold mask of carefully-planned seriousness. Her poor, socially awkward Hōmura needed to learn how to cheer up and smile more.

Sayaka could only watch on, her mind dangerously on the brink of snapping.

Their apathy towards danger was sickening.

"Are you all CRAZY?" When Sayaka saw them release a potentially murderous magical creature right in front of them, her eyes would have spontaneously exploded into flames if they were able to.

"Calm down, girlie," Kyōko said with her irritated look back on her face, glaring at Sayaka. This girl was the "nutty" one from the other night. She could tell by smell alone that it was her. Kyōko also could tell that she was wearing a garland of garlic around her neck, but she wasn't bothered by it at all. Mostly it was because of her wish, but the specifics of that were complicated.

"I can't calm down!" She wanted to do something other than stand there and tremble with fear, but she couldn't think of anything. Not one spell Sayaka knew would be able to take on a vampire of her power-level. She even resisted the cross like it wasn't even there! "You put Hitomi in the hospital!"

"She'll live." There was an exaggerated roll of the eyes. "I only took what I needed."

"I don't care! You're a menace!"

"Oh? So you plan on slaying me, then?"

"What do you think I should do then?"

"Leave me alone, for starters. Unless you wanna become my next meal."

The straightforward ping-pong conversation had been steadily gaining emotional heat as each hate-coated word left their mouths.

Sayaka would not be trumped in the exchange, however. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. Why were they hosting a dangerous entity such as this girl in the first place? It made her so angry she wanted to kill her on the spot.

"….what's your deal, anyway? Why're you here in the first place?"

There was a long silence between them as the girls looked at one another. The only thing that could be heard was the tiny whistling of the teapot as it announced the water was ready. Mami calmly gathered the cups together and began pouring out the liquid.

The vampire laughed without humor, her fangs giving off an unspoken threat by just being displayed. This girl, despite being a worthless little mageling, had some serious guts.

"Alright, I'll bite," said Kyōko. Her hair was fiery in the artificial sunset's waning light, yet her eyes were dull and flat. Shadows extending from Madoka and the others became distorted gnarled figures on the far wall opposite the setting sun. Kyōko hung her head, the bangs darkening her face. "You really want to know my 'deal' as you put it, Miki?"

The air chilled a couple degrees from her tone alone, but Sayaka gave a stiff nod and clenched her fists nonetheless. Even if all the legends were true, that wasn't going to scare her.

'Careful you two,' said Kyūbey, who had wiggled out of Madoka's bag. He'd been watching on without commenting for quite some time. A new record for the little furball, actually. In this universe he was more…chatty. He slipped under the kotatsu and sat, pretending to go back to sleep. They couldn't see what he was up to, so Madoka frowned at his actions. This Kyūbey was a little off in his intentions sometimes, despite not being as malicious as the previous version.

"Don't worry," said Kyōko, "I won't scare them too much." Her eyes were now a hellish red, the pupils large and intimidating, but the whites were now dark. She locked her stare with all of the girls' nervous glances.

'Look into my eyes, children,' echoed Kyōko's voice in their minds without the aid of Kyuubey's telepathy. 'Look and see what true suffering is!'

* * *

**素敵****骨格**

* * *

_'This was my home._' Her voice held a touch of grief.

The six of them saw a simple room. Wooden floors, wooden walls, and a scraggly, uneven table in the middle of it. Off to the side were several cots, four of them. In the corner a tiny black dog lay asleep, and every few moments he would stir to scratch his floppy right ear.

_'I was the kid of a priest. My father was in charge of the temple where we lived. My little sister and I were Shrine maidens_.'

They saw the image of Kyōko and her sister Momo were in the standard miko uniform: a long, red, slightly pleated skirt tied with a bow, and a white kimono jacket.

'_Together, we fought demons and sealed away dangerous Yōkai_.'

A rope with several long zigzagging paper tassels hanging from it encircles a very dark, unrecognizable lump. The girls were holding catalpa bows and laughing alongside their father.

'_However, Father was always cheerful, but never happy. His biggest fault was his greatest strength. That is, his great compassion for others._'

'_Every day he would look outside the window and just grieve himself over all the suffering and violence and injustice. In spite of all this prior training would tell us that we needed a new religion, to help change people. So he started teaching new things, things that might help make the world a better place._'

Her father is seen brining in several different religious symbols in a box. There was a cross, a Star of David, and even a Rosario.

_'But people were so hard-hearted. They rejected the logic of his message, asking for the same old same old doctrines that most people discarded like rubbish in the street in exchange for their personal gain._ '

_'People stopped coming to pray, they stopped donating. They stopped caring_.'

The number of people at the shrine slowly dwindled to nothing.

'_We nearly starved to death._'

The small family was gathered around the table, with empty bowls in front of each of them. Momo looks like she's on the brink of tears, and their father's face is obscured by shadow.

'_One day though, as if that wasn't enough, __**He**__ came along._'

A dark figure with a long, sweeping greatcoat appeared. He lunged at her father and slammed him against the far wall. She and Momo screamed for him to stop, but in reality they could not do anything—they were too weak from hunger. He suddenly turned to them, starting with Kyōko first.

_'When I awoke...I had become a monster_.'

Kyōko woke up only minutes later to see that Momo was nowhere in sight. Her clothes were shredded severely, and her legs were covered in blood. Her father, slumped against the wall, had his neck ripped out; blood was everywhere. Without thinking, she headed over to the pool of semi-dried blood and attempted to drink from it, but stopped short as she realized something.

She was no longer human.

'_That was over 50 years ago_.'

* * *

_**My….stories…are draining my life force. Yes, I wanted to write Mami as a rich-girl who has parents. Any guesses as to why they're so wealthy? Also. Can anyone guess what Kyūbey is doing under the kotatsu?**_

_**Reviews…really help with writing. I'm serious, people. **_

_**Did you get all the references? Aw, no "Charmed" or "Problem Children Are Coming From Another World, Aren't They?" fans? God, I even threw in a HUGE cameo prop from "Negima!". Oh well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**_

_**And now a word from my u******__nofficial_ beta-reader!

_**Heavy Lok: "Really? Your stories are draining your life? I...can actually see that happening, but I digress. MAMI IS THE FEMALE-EQUIVALENT TO RICHIE RICH! I'M SO JEALOUS! Also, please stop referring to me as multiple people. I'm only one person."**_


End file.
